Millennium City Park

清明上河园

A large Song-culture theme park recreating the scenes of the “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” painting. It features more than 100 performances a day, and the nighttime water show “Great Song: Dreams of the Eastern Capital” is especially spectacular.

Millennium City Park lies on the west bank of Longting Lake. It opened in 1998, covers about 600 mu (40 hectares), and recreates the Song-dynasty streets from Zhang Zeduan's “Along the River During the Qingming Festival,” including the Rainbow Bridge, the Bian River, city gates, restaurants and teahouses. It is one of the most complete immersive Song culture experiences in China and holds a 5A rating. Highlights: from opening to closing, the park offers dozens of free performances each day, such as the opening ceremony “Judge Bao Welcomes Guests,” “Yue Fei Spears Little Prince Liang,” “The Song Imperial Examinations,” “Battle on the Bian River” and “Defense of the Eastern Capital” (with cannon fire and mounted battles). Pick up the daily program at the entrance and plan your route around the show times. The Rainbow Bridge and the Bian River are classic photo spots. Dressing in Song-dynasty costume while touring the park is a current trend, and there are many costume shops inside and outside the park (about 100 to 300 yuan, including makeup and styling). Night show: “Great Song: Dreams of the Eastern Capital” is a large-scale water live-action show by Wang Chaoge's team. It lasts about 70 minutes, with more than 700 performers recreating the glory of the Northern Song on the shores of Longting Lake. Tickets cost about 200 to 350 yuan depending on seat. The show runs in the evenings from March to November, with extra performances on holidays. Be sure to buy tickets in advance through the park's official WeChat account. Admission: about 120 yuan in peak season. Night tour tickets are sold separately, and combined tickets offer discounts. Getting there: a taxi from the city center takes about 10 minutes. Several bus routes stop at the Millennium City Park station, and there is a large parking lot for drivers. Notes: the park is large and has many shows, so plan to enter in the morning and stay until evening. Crowds are huge on holidays, so arrive early to secure a spot for the shows. Food inside the park is expensive, so consider eating at nearby restaurants.

Millennium City Park

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