كايفنغ

1. Millennium City Park (Qingming Shanghe Garden)

Modeled after Zhang Zeduan’s famous painting “Along the River During the Qingming Festival,” Qingming Shanghe Garden is a large-scale theme park that reproduces the prosperous scene of Kaifeng, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty. The park covers an area of 600 mu, with a river flowing through it, and ancient-style streets, shops, and residences built along the river. Performances such as imperial court parades, folk art shows, and traditional weddings are held every day in the park, allowing visitors to feel as if they have traveled back to the Northern Song Dynasty. The grand real-scene performance “Dream of the Eastern Capital of the Great Song” held at night uses advanced stage technologies to present the rise and fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, shocking and moving. In addition, the park also has many snack shops, selling traditional Kaifeng snacks such as steamed buns with pork stuffing and fried sugar cakes, making it a perfect combination of cultural experience and food enjoyment.

2. Kaifeng Prefecture

Known as the “No.1 Prefecture Under Heaven” in the Northern Song Dynasty, Kaifeng Prefecture was the administrative office of the capital, with a prominent position in the feudal official system. The restored Kaifeng Prefecture retains the architectural style of the Northern Song Dynasty, with grand halls, courtrooms, and prison cells, showing the strict hierarchy and judicial system of the time. It is closely related to the legendary figure Bao Zheng, who was famous for his integrity and impartiality in judging cases. In the prefecture, there are exhibitions about Bao Zheng’s life and deeds, and reenactments of his court trials, allowing visitors to admire the noble character of this ancient honest official. The cultural relics and historical materials displayed here also provide important insights into the political, legal, and social life of the Northern Song Dynasty.

3. Daxiangguo Temple

A famous ancient Buddhist temple in China, Daxiangguo Temple has a history of over 1,400 years, first built in the Northern Qi Dynasty and flourishing in the Northern Song Dynasty, serving as the imperial temple of the Northern Song Dynasty. The temple’s main buildings include the Tianwang Hall, Mahavira Hall, and the Arhat Hall, among which the 7-meter-tall bronze statue of Maitreya Buddha in the Tianwang Hall and the thousand-handed Guanyin statue made of gilded wood in the Arhat Hall are masterpieces of ancient craftsmanship. Daxiangguo Temple is also closely related to the story of the monk Wu Song fighting the tiger in the classic Chinese novel “Water Margin,” adding a legendary color to the temple. Today, the temple still preserves many ancient cultural relics and holds regular Buddhist activities, attracting a large number of Buddhist believers and tourists to visit and pay their respects.

4. Dragon Pavilion Park

Located on the ruins of the imperial palaces of the Later Zhou and Northern Song dynasties, Dragon Pavilion Park is a key cultural scenic spot in Kaifeng, centered around the Dragon Pavilion, a tall platform building. The Dragon Pavilion is built on a 13-meter-high blue brick platform, with a grand and majestic pavilion on top, which was once the place where emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty held grand ceremonies. Climbing to the top of the Dragon Pavilion, you can have a panoramic view of the entire Kaifeng city. The park also includes the Bao Zheng Lake and Yue Fei Lake, which are named after the famous honest officials and patriotic generals, adding a strong cultural atmosphere. The annual chrysanthemum exhibition held here displays thousands of chrysanthemum varieties, making the park a sea of flowers and a major tourist attraction in autumn.

5. Iron Pagoda (Youguo Temple Pagoda)

As one of China’s four great ancient pagodas, the Iron Pagoda was built in the Northern Song Dynasty, originally part of Youguo Temple. Although it is called an iron pagoda, it is actually made of glazed bricks that are dark brown like iron, hence the name. The pagoda is a 13-story octagonal brick pagoda, 55.88 meters high, with exquisite glazed brick carvings on each floor, depicting patterns such as flying apsaras, lions, and lotus flowers, which are vivid and lifelike. Despite experiencing thousands of years of wind and rain, wars, and earthquakes, the Iron Pagoda remains intact, showing the superb architectural and glazing techniques of the Northern Song Dynasty. It is not only a precious ancient architectural heritage but also an important symbol of Kaifeng’s history and culture.

6. Baogong Temple

Dedicated to Bao Zheng, the famous honest and upright official of the Northern Song Dynasty, Baogong Temple is a sacred place to commemorate this legendary figure. The main buildings include the Bao Zheng Memorial Hall, the tomb of Bao Zheng, and the statue of Bao Zheng, with exhibitions about Bao Zheng’s life stories, his deeds of enforcing the law impartially, and the cultural relics related to him. The tomb area preserves the original tomb of Bao Zheng and his family, with stone tablets recording his life, allowing visitors to pay their respects to this ancient honest official. Baogong Temple promotes the spirit of integrity and justice, which has a profound educational significance for modern society, making it a popular destination for both tourists and people who come to learn about the culture of honest officials.

7. China Hanyuan Calligraphy Forest

A large-scale cultural garden integrating calligraphy art, cultural relics, and garden landscapes, China Hanyuan Calligraphy Forest was founded by the famous calligrapher Li Qingwei. It collects more than 3,500 stone carvings of calligraphy works by famous calligraphers from past dynasties to the present, covering various calligraphy styles such as regular script, cursive script, running script, and seal script. The calligraphy forest is built in the style of a classical garden, with pavilions, corridors, and stone bridges connecting different areas, and the stone carvings are displayed in an orderly manner in the garden. In addition to appreciating calligraphy works,visitors can also enjoy the beautiful natural scenery and experience the integration of traditional Chinese calligraphy art and garden culture,making it a paradise for calligraphy lovers and cultural tourists.