Kaifeng Travel Guide: Plan a Perfect Trip to Kaifeng
Located in the east of Henan province in China, Kaifeng holds a significant position in history as one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China. Throughout its illustrious past, this city has served as the capital of eight different dynasties. It is a National Historical and Cultural City in China and one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization. Besides, the Yu opera, China’s largest local opera genre, originated here.
Kaifeng of Henan in China has been regarded as a regional political, economic, and cultural center in northern China since the Song Dynasty. It boasts a remarkable history of over 4,100 years. During the Northern Song Dynasty, Kaifeng was a central city on the Maritime Silk Road and the eastern starting point of the Silk Road, and it was the largest city in the world at that time. Moreover, it was the setting for the famous painting “Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival.”
Chinese: 开封 kāi fēng
Location: Eastern Henan Province
Population (urban area): 4,694,000
Why Visit Kaifeng
- Rich Historical Heritage: With a long history spanning 4,100 years, Kaifeng served as the capital of multiple dynasties of ancient China, which contributed a lot to its rich historical relics. You can visit this city and explore the historical sites, including Millennium City Park, Iron Pagoda, and Dragon Pavilion.
- Cultural Immersion: Kaifenggreets visitors with rich cultural activities, such as the Qingming Cultural Festival and Chrysanthemums Cultural Festival. Besides, this city also features cultures of opera, woodblock prints, calligraphy art, and Pan-Drum Art. If you are a cultural enthusiast, never miss them.
- Architectural Marvels: Kaifengboasts impressive architecture and offers a good chance for you to discover intricately designed ancient By the way, Kaifeng Fu and Dragon Pavilion Park are good sites to marvel at the miracles of architecture.
- Stunning Scenery: Kaifeng has many beautiful parks and gardens with pavilions and lakes, showing a good blend of natural scenery and magnificent buildings. What’s more, the night scene of this city also attracts visitors a lot, especially when the lights are on by the rivers and lakes.
- Culinary Delights: As the birthplace of Henan cuisine, Kaifengis a paradise for food lovers. Kaifeng food is known for its harmonious balance of different flavors, it has been developed into four main categories, including imperial cuisine, official cuisine, temple cuisine, and street food.
Millennium City Park
It is a cultural theme park recreated according to the famous painting "River Scene at Qingming Festival", and it offers an immersive experience that allows visitors to step back in the time of the Song Dynasty.
Iron Pagoda
Standing 55.88 meters tall with 13 octagonal stories, this Iron Pagoda in Kaifeng is famed as “the No.1 Pagoda in the World” and is the tallest, oldest, and most well-preserved glazed brick pagoda in China.
Kaifeng Museum
It is a local comprehensive museum that integrates artifact collection, preservation, scientific research, exhibitions, and educational outreach. It houses over 80,000 collections, among which 6,787 are precious cultural relics.
Kaifeng Fu
Used to be the administrative and judicial office of officials in the Northern Song Dynasty, this Kaifeng mansion has high rooftops and is decorated with intricate paintings, presenting the architectural style of the Northern Song Dynasty.
Memorial Temple of Lord Bao
Rebuilt to commemorate the famous ancient Chinese upright official and political reformer Bao Zheng, this temple exhibits a bronze statue of Lord Bao, a bronze guillotine, and historical documents and records related to Lord Bao.
Xiangguo Temple
As one of the famous Buddhist temples in China, this temple in Kaifeng has a long history dating back to the Northern Qi Dynasty. Currently, it boasts several well-preserved relics like the Hall of Heavenly Kings and Mahavira Hall.
Dragon Pavilion Park
Built according to the layout of the Wanshou Palace in the Qing Dynasty, this architectural complex offers a good opportunity for visitors to marvel at the magnificent ancient buildings from south to north.
China Hanyuan Garden
Spanning an area of 120 acres, this cultural park of Kaifeng is composed of two parts: the southern part features picturesque garden landscapes, while the northern part displays over 3,800 calligraphy and paintings.
Top Things to Do in Kaifeng
Immerse Yourself in the Cultural Banquet
The Millennium City Park in Kaifeng organizes a lot of performances from morning to night, which offers good opportunities for you to step back in time to the Song Dynasty, as you can see the life scene of the Song Dynasty. Visiting there, you can watch performances of game fowls, qigong, iron flowers, and many other scene plays. Just arrange your time and get immersed in the cultural feast.
Attend Chrysanthemum Exhibition
Kaifeng is called “a City of Chrysanthemum” and it holds Chrysanthemum exhibitions in October every year, which lasts for one month. The main exhibition zone is the Longting Lake Scenic Area, including Dragon Pavilion Park, Millennium City Park, and China Hanyuan Garden. And, in the exhibition, visitors can enjoy different kinds of Chrysanthemums in different colors, read rhymes of the Song Dynasty, and taste various delicious foods on your Henan Kaifeng tours.
Take a Boat Ride on Longting Lake
When touring Kaifeng, it must be a wonderful experience for you to take a boat ride on Longting Lake and enjoy the harmonious views of ancient architecture and natural landscapes. Longting Lake in China Hanyuan Garden serves many types of boats, including hand row boats, black-awning boats, and sculling boats, and you need to paddle and row by yourself, which is interesting.
Indulge in Kaifeng’s Culinary Delights
Kaifeng is not only a city with many historic attractions but also a place where there are numerous delicious foods, and don’t hesitate to try them on your Henan tours. It treats you with Kaifeng-style braised chicken, guokui, rice noodles with chicken sauce, fried pancakes, and more.
When it comes to where to eat, consider visiting the Kaifeng restaurants or food stalls at Gulou Night Market, Xisi Night Market, and Simen Food Street, as they offer almost all the authentic Kaifeng dishes and snacks.
Ethnic Groups and Religions in Kaifeng
Kaifeng is home to 48 ethnic groups, including Hui, Man, Mongol, and more, accounting for 1.74% of the population in the city. Besides, Jews are also a highlighted group of people living there. China opened and traded with other countries in the Song Dynasty, attracting many foreigners to settle, including Jews, who came for business purposes. Today, descendants of these Jews still live in this city, and they are known as the “Kaifeng Jews.”
There are five major religions in Kaifeng City, including Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Christianity. For the Jews in Kaifeng, they believe in Judaism and assemble at Kaifeng synagogues, of which the first synagogue was built 900 years ago.
History of Kaifeng
Kaifeng is originally named after the Qin dynasty’s conquest in the second century BC. Over the centuries, ancient Kaifeng served as the capital of the eight different dynasties in ancient China, which are the Xia Dynasty, the State of Wei during the Warring States period, the Later Liang, Later Jin, Later Han, and Later Zhou during the Five Dynasties period, the Northern Song Dynasty, and the Jin Dynasty. Notably, it became a major commercial city and peaked during the Song Dynasty (960-1126).
Weather and Best Time to Visit Kaifeng
Kaifeng of Henan in China experiences a monsoon climate of medium latitudes with four distinct seasons. Therefore, the best time to visit there is in spring and autumn when the weather is pleasant and the landscapes are beautiful. Besides, Kaifeng usually holds the Qingming Cultural Festival in spring and the Chrysanthemum Cultural Festival, so never miss them on your trip to Kaifeng in Henan.
Kaifeng Transportation
Getting to Kaifeng
Kaifeng does not have an airport and there is no direct flight to Kaifeng, so if you prefer to travel to Kaifeng in Henan by plane, you can take a flight to Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport and then take a bus to Kaifeng City. Besides, you can also take a train to Kaifeng from many cities in China, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi’an.
If you are traveling from nearby cities like Luoyang, Zhengzhou, and Xuchang, you can get to Kaifeng by bus. Moreover, it is also convenient for you to drive there, and it takes around 1.5 hours from Zhengzhou, 2.5 hours from the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, and 2.5 hours from the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang to reach Kaifeng.
Kaifeng has many bus routes that can take you to all the attractions in the city with CNY 1 or 2. In this case, stay in a Kaifeng hotel near the bus station. If you prefer a more private and faster transportation, a taxi is there with a starting price of CNY 7.
Recommended Henan Tour including Kaifeng
