Kaifeng Song Dynasty City

Kaifeng, about 70 km (43 miles) east of Zhengzhou in Henan province, was the capital of the Northern Song dynasty and is one of the easiest day trips from the provincial capital. Intercity high-speed trains run from Zhengzhou East to Kaifeng in about 20-30 minutes for roughly ¥15-25 at frequent intervals, and a bus or DiDi covers the further 20-40 minutes from the station to the old town for about ¥15-40. The whole journey takes about an hour door to door, leaving most of the day free for sightseeing.

The Song-themed attractions cluster in and around the walled old town. Kaifeng Fu, a reconstruction of the Song-era prefectural government office, stages costumed re-enactments of magistrate proceedings and costs about ¥60. The Iron Pagoda, a 13-storey glazed-brick tower dating to the 11th century and named for its dark rust-coloured tiles, costs about ¥50. The Millennium City Park area re-creates the riverside scenes of the Song painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival, with evening performances and boats. Also worth seeing are the Longting Park and the Xiangguo Temple, a large Buddhist temple with a tall central hall.

A workable itinerary reaches Kaifeng by about 09:30, visits the Iron Pagoda and Kaifeng Fu in the morning, and has lunch in the old town before an afternoon in Millennium City Park. Food is a strong reason to come. The Gulou night market, near the drum tower in the old town, serves Kaifeng specialties such as soup-filled steamed buns (guantang bao), peanut candy, lamb noodles and sesame flatbreads, and it runs into the night. The best seasons are March-May and September-November; in late September and October Kaifeng also holds its chrysanthemum festival, which draws large crowds. Summers are hot and winters chilly. Because trains are frequent and short, visitors can stay for the evening food market and still return to Zhengzhou late. Check the last train time and tariffs for each attraction before setting out.