Kaifeng 开封市

Dragon Pavilion 龙亭

Located in the northwestern part of Kaifent City on the ruins of the imperial palace of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), the 13.7-meter-high Dragon Pavilion was a big hall belonging o the Longevity Palace of the Qing Dynasty. In the ancient times, local officers and officials used to come here and held ceremonies to pay tribute to the emperor.

The Dragon Pavilion was built on a 13-meter-high brick base with a flight of 72 steps, which are made of broad slabs leading up to the pavilion. The middle part of the flight is carved from top to bottom with a huge pattern of nine dragons in token of prosperity. In front of the Dragon Pavilion stands a bronze statue of Dr Sun Yat-sen erected in 1929.

Iron Pagoda 铁塔

Built in the northern corner of Kaifeng in 1049, with drab, glazed bricks of 28 different patterns on the outside, the Iron Pagoda looks as if it were cast in iron, hence the name the Iron Pagoda. The 13-storeyed octagonal pagoda is 54.66 meters high. Due to the overflow of the Yellow River, the base of the pagoda has been buried underearth. More than 50 galled brick carvings including female performers, flying Apsaras as in the frescoes of the Dunhuang Caves, kylin (Chinese unicorn, representing fortune and power in Chinese folk tales) Bodhisattvas, lions, are vividly portrayed with exquisite craftsmanship, masterpieces of glazed brick sculptures of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The view from the pagoda at the top sweeps over the whole city and down the Yellow River. The pagodas has become a popular tourist destination in its own right and draws thousands upon thousands of visitors each year. South of the pagoda stands an eight-sided pavilion. Inside the pavilion there is a bronze Buddha cast during the Song and Jin (1115-1234) period. Therefore, it has been reputed as the “First Pagoda Under Heaven.”

A popular saying goes: “If you have not been up the pagoda, you have not visited the city of Kaifeng来开封不登铁塔，等于没来开封。”

Po Pagoda 繁塔

As a symbol of Kaifeng, the Po Pagoda, also called Xingci Pagoda, was built in 977 in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). It is the oldest structure in existence in Kaifeng. Measuring 55.08 meters in height (today the hexagonal pagoda is 31.67 meters above the ground and 23.41 meters being buried underneath due to frequent Yellow River floods in ancient times), the pagoda is actually covered with bricks coated with dark-brown glaze. Statistics show, there are about 7,000 Buddhist images on inside and outside of the walls of the pagoda. According to historical record, the pagoda had 9 tiers. In the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) it was destroyed, only three tiers were left. Afterwards seven tiers of small pagodas were added to the remaining pagoda, thus forming its peculiar style. Nowadays, the pagoda consists of three high storeys and a flat top, on which stands a seven-tier mini-pagoda. On the bricks are exquisitely carved vivid designs. Its interior walls are inlaid with stone carvings made during the Northern Song Dynasty.

The Song-Dynasty Capital Street 宋督一条街

Kaifeng once served the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). The street used to be situated in front of the imperial palace in Kaifeng. The present street was built in early 1990s to meet the curiosity of tourists both at home and abroad. The modeled Song-dynasty Street measures 400 meters long and 30 meters wide. The street is crammed with shops modeled on the architectural style of the Northern Song Dynasty. On the northern part of the street is a big and tall building with the signboard reading : “Fanlou樊楼Restaurant.” It is named after a Song-dynasty restaurant which was the best of the 72 restaurants then catering to the ancient capital. In the Chinese classical novel Water Margins, rebel leader Song Jiang managed to meet Emperor Huizong (reigned 1101-1125) in this restaurant through the help of the famous courtesan (a women who took payment for sex from noble and socially important people) Li Shishi 李师师.

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