Kaifeng travel guide

Kaifeng sits in the heart of the Central Plains and is well connected.

Kaifeng has no airport of its own. Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport is 70 km away.

Besides the Longhai Railway that runs across the province, Kaifeng also has 150 km of local railway lines. Round-trip trains between Shanghai and Chengdu, Qingdao and Chengdu, Qingdao and Xining, Shanghai and Xining, and Datong and Hangzhou all stop in Kaifeng. By high-speed rail, the trip from Zhengzhou to Kaifeng takes just 20 minutes; second-class seats cost ¥24. Train numbers include G1964, G1896 and G286.

National Highway 106 (Beijing → Guangzhou) runs north to south through the area, and National Highway 310 (Tianshui → Lianyungang) connects with Highway 220 (Lankao → Binzhou). The Kailuo Expressway forms the "Kaifeng → Zhengzhou → Luoyang" golden corridor of the Central Plains, and the Kaifeng Yellow River Highway Bridge spans north and south. All 93 rural asphalt roads across the five counties and one suburban district are now open. Intercity buses run between Kaifeng and Zhengzhou.

Most of Kaifeng's sights are concentrated in the city centre and close to one another, so pedicabs are very convenient and also add a bit of charm.

The ancient capital of Kaifeng is the birthplace of Yu cuisine (Henan cuisine), one of China's Top Ten Cuisines. Kaifeng's local snacks are found in every lane and alley, and fall into four main categories: cooked foods, deep-fried foods, boiled foods and soups.

Located in the bustling downtown area, next to Songdu Imperial Street, the Iron Pagoda, Longting Park and Xiangguo Temple, this was Kaifeng's first hotel where every guest room uses geothermal mineral water. The nearby night market has plenty of food stalls, and Bianliang snacks and local specialities are available in abundance.

Beating the Pangu drums during the Spring Festival and other celebrations is a traditional folk activity in Kaifeng. The Kaifeng Pangu drum style is rhythmic, has many variations and is grand in scale. Kaifeng now has more than 30 Pangu drum troupes, which perform and compete on New Year's Day, the Spring Festival, National Day, cultural festivals, the chrysanthemum fair and temple fairs. Kaifeng's drum troupes have performed in Japan and Hong Kong, earning wide acclaim.

Kaifeng offers good accommodation options to suit every budget.

Besides classic traditional products, local specialities include Bao Qianyuan brushes, watermelon fermented black beans and Kaifeng peanuts.

Kaifeng's main shopping streets are Bookstore Street, Sihou Street and Gulou Street in the city centre. Major stores include Model Department Store, Dafu Xiangguo Temple Market and the People's Department Store.

The main activity is strolling the night markets, a custom that dates back to the Northern Song, when Dongjing had night markets everywhere. Today, as dusk falls, night markets across the city's lanes and alleys come to life, with vendors calling out their wares and crowds bustling about, making Kaifeng's night scene a sight to see.

Dafu Xiangguo Temple Market sits at the core of the city-centre commercial district, on the western section of Ziyou Road. It has been a prosperous area and trading hub since the Northern Song. After years of renovation and development, it is now the largest commodity distribution centre in eastern Henan.

Keeping birds is a custom unique to Kaifeng, a seven-dynasty ancient capital, and sets it apart from other former capitals. The history of the Bianjing bird market is recorded in *Dream of the Eastern Capital*. Antiques left by Kaifeng bird-keeping families show that bird keeping and trading developed further in the Ming dynasty. In the Qing dynasty, Kaifeng's bird keeping reached its peak, with the bird market located at Xiangguo Temple. In recent years, the Bianjing Bird Market, which formed spontaneously on the west side of Bianjing Park, has become a distinctive sight in Kaifeng.