Kaifeng Travel Guide

 

Chinese Name: 开封市 (kāi fēng shì )
Population: 4,564,900
Area: 6,266 square kilometers (2,419 square miles)
Location: in the east of Henan Province, east-central China
Administrative Division: 5 districts ( Gulou, Longting Yuwangtai, Jinming, Shunhe Hui); 4 counties ( Weishi, Qixian, Tongxu, Lankao)
Area Code: 0371
Zip Code: 475000
GDP (2018): CNY 200.223 billion (USD 30.259 billion)

Kaifeng lies at the plain area of the east Henan Province, and on the southern bank of the Yellow River. It borders Zhengzhou to the west, Xinxiang to the northwest, Shangqiu to the east, Zhoukou to the southeast, Xuchang to the southwest, and Shandong to the northeast. As the ancient capital of the eight dynasties including the Xia Dynasty, Kingdom of Wei, Hou Liang, Hou Jin, Hou Han, Hou Zhou, Song Dynasty, and Jin Dynasty, Kaifeng has a history of more than 4,100 years. In the Northern Song Dynasty (960 - 1127), Kaifeng even was the world's first metropolis. In particular, Kaifeng was the only ancient capital in China whose central axis of the city never changed. To this day, visitors can still see the well-preserved Kaifeng City Wall with a circumference of 14.4 km (8.7mi). Kaifeng also has a history of more than 1,600 years of chrysanthemum planting and appreciation. To appreciate beautiful chrysanthemum, Kaifeng holds Tomb Sweeping Culture Festival in April and the Chrysanthemum Culture Festival in October, which are two grandest events in Kaifeng every year.

 10 Old Capitals of China

Xiangguo Temple

With the influence of a long history over 2,700 years, various cultural relics and historic sites are remained in Kaifeng city. Therefore, the city became an importance tourist destination in China. It is also the famous 'Northern Water Town' in China for there are many lakes in the city.

You can appreciate a great many time-honored historical and cultural landscapes there, among which the most famous ones are Iron Pagoda, Dragon Pavilion, Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden, Imperial Street of Song Dynasty, Memorial Temple of Lord Bao, Kaifeng Yamun, Xiangguo Temple, Local Museum as well as Millennium City Park.

 Pictures

1. There is no airport built in the city, but it is about 70km away from the city to Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport. It is convenient for passengers to go to Zhengzhou Airport and then to travel to other cities.

2. Trains daily depart from Kaifeng Railway Station to other cities around China, such as Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Xi'an, Xuzhou, Shangqiu, etc. Kaifeng North Railway Station mainly operates high-speed trains to Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou,  etc.

3. There is a long-distance bus station at the north side of local Railway Station. There are long-distance buses traveling every day from the city to Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Sanmenxia, Shangqiu, Xinxiang, Anyang, Beijing, Xuchang, Luohe, Zhumadian, Shenzhen, etc.

4. It is easy to take the public bus for traveling around the city. Most of them are self-service ticketing buses and the bus fare is CNY1. Bus 20 is the special tourist bus which can take you to each scenic spot.

5. The taxi fare of is CNY5 for the first two kilometers and then CNY1 per additional kilometer. The taxi cost is generally within CNY7 for traveling to the attractions in the city downtown area.

 See more about Zhengzhou - Kaifeng Train, Luoyang - Kaifeng Train 

Kaifeng has a temperate continental monsoon climate of four distinctive seasons with adequate sunshine, warm weather and moderate rainfall. The annual average temperature is about 14℃ (57℉) and the annual average rainfall is about 670 mm. It has a frost-free period of 213-215 days. 

 When to Go: The best time to visit is suggested to be September and October due to the most pleasant weather and the city's most beautiful event: the Chrysanthemum Fair.

 History: The city is known as one of the Seven Ancient Capitals of China with the short name of 'Bian'. The city's history can be traced back to Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC - 476 BC). It was named 'Qifeng' at that time. Later in Han Jingdi (Liu Qi) Period, it got the name of 'Kaifeng'. From 364 BC to 1233 AD, the city was the capital of the Kingdom of Wei (475-331 B.C.), Later Jin (936–946), Later Han (947–951), and Later Zhou (951–960) of the Five Dynasties (907-960), Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), and the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), also  known as 'the Capitals of Seven Dynasties'. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the city was made the capital of Henan Province.

 Local Highlights: You can understand more about the culture of Kaifeng by seeing many colorful folk arts, such as lion dance, drum set, stilts, land boat and suona. This city is also known as the hometown of painting and calligraphy as well as opera. You may get unexpected gain from visiting the local painting and calligraphy gallery or small theater. 

 Special Local Product: Bianliang Watermelon, Pickled Radish, Spiced Dried Bean Curd, Peanut Cake