Kaifeng Attractions

Kaifeng (开封), known as one of China’s Eight Ancient Capitals, is a historic city where traditional Chinese civilization, especially Northern Song Dynasty culture, remains deeply preserved. As the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127), Kaifeng was once one of the world’s largest and most prosperous cities, known as Bianjing (汴京). Today, the city is often described as an “open-air museum of Song culture,” with ancient government offices, royal gardens, temples, city walls, traditional streets, and immersive cultural performances bringing the atmosphere of the ancient capital back to life.

One of Kaifeng’s most remarkable features is that it is the only ancient capital in the world whose central city axis has remained unchanged for more than a thousand years. The city’s major attractions are concentrated around the old urban area, making it very convenient for travelers to explore on foot, by bicycle, or by short-distance transportation. Kaifeng currently has more than 20 A-level tourist attractions, including the famous 5A scenic area Millennium City Park (清明上河园) and many 4A attractions.

Kaifeng tourism is mainly centered around five themes: Song Dynasty culture, historical architecture, folk performances, traditional cuisine, and night tourism. A 2–3 day trip is usually enough to experience the city’s major highlights, including the recreated Song lifestyle at Millennium City Park, the martial arts performances at Wansui Mountain Wuxia City, the historical atmosphere of Kaifeng Fu, the thousand-year-old Iron Pagoda, and the lively traditional food culture around Gulou Night Market.

Top Attractions in Kaifeng

Kaifeng's scenic spots mainly exist in the form of architecture. Ancient buildings of different times can be seen everywhere in the back streets of the city. To explore the historical charm of Kaifeng city, you can go to many famous scenic spots, among which Millennium City Park and Iron Pagoda Park are the necessary places for your trip to Kaifeng.

• Dragon Pavilion Park
• Kaifeng Fu
• Iron Pagoda Park
• Millennium City Park
• Daxiangguo Temple

Museums in Kaifeng

Most of the Kaifeng city's historical relics are preserved in the Museums. Whether you're interested in local history or art, a museum is a great way to kill your time on a miserable day.

• Memorial Hall of Jiaoyulu
• Kaifeng Exhibition Hall of Liu Shaoqi
• Kaifeng Museum
• Kaifeng New Year Paintings Museum

Historical and Cultural Sites in Kaifeng

The Iron Pagoda, Xiangguo Temple, Baogong Memorial Hall, Yanqingguan, Yuwangtai, Po Pagoda and other key cultural relics in Kaifeng have high research value, historical and cultural value and tourism value. Kaifeng is one of Henan's three major stone carving concentration areas. There are more than 1,000 stone carvings from Han Dynasty to Republic of China preserved and collected in the scenic spots and historic sites. They are valuable cultural relics for studying social economy, history and culture, science and technology and calligraphy.

• Yuefei Temple in Zhuxian Town
• Tomb of Zhang Liang in Kaifeng
• The City Wall of Kaifeng
• Po Pagoda (Fanta) in Kaifeng
• Yang Familys Mansion (Tianbo Yangfu)
• The Memorial Temple of Lord Bao
• Shanxi Shaanxi Gansu Guildhall

Parks in Kaifeng

• Bianjing Park
• Yuwang Tai Park
• Kaifeng City Hall Theme Park

Other Attractions in Kaifeng

• Gulou Night Market in Kaifeng
• Song Dynasty Imperial Street in Kaifeng
• Qishengjiao Commercial Street in Kaifeng
• Small Songcheng Old Town in Kaifeng
• Zhuxian Town in Xiangfu District
• Qifeng Guyuan Scenic Area in Zhuxian Town
• Yuhe River of Song Dynasty (Dasong Yuhe)
• Baogong Lake in Kaifeng
• Jinming Lake in Kaifeng
• The Song Dynasty Of Kungfu City
• Song Dynasty Dongjing Dream Performance

Top Tourist Attractions in Kaifeng

Millennium City Park (清明上河园): The Best Place to Experience Song Dynasty Life

Located in Longting District (龙亭区), Millennium City Park is Kaifeng’s most representative tourist attraction and the city’s only 5A-level scenic area. The park is based on the famous Northern Song Dynasty painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival (《清明上河图》) by Zhang Zeduan (张择端), recreating the streets, markets, workshops, and daily scenes of ancient Bianjing.

Visitors can experience traditional Song-style architecture, folk performances, ancient handicrafts, market culture, and costume experiences during the daytime. At night, the large-scale live performance Da Song·Dongjing Menghua (《大宋·东京梦华》) combines water scenery, lighting, music, and dance to present the prosperity of the Song Dynasty. It is widely regarded as one of the best cultural night shows in Henan.

Rating: 5A Tourist Attraction
Best Experience: Song culture, immersive performances, night tourism
Admission: Around RMB 120

Wansui Mountain Wuxia City (万岁山武侠城): Immersive Martial Arts and Folk Performances

Wansui Mountain Wuxia City in Longting District (龙亭区) is one of Kaifeng’s most popular cultural theme attractions. Inspired by Chinese martial arts stories and traditional legends, the scenic area creates an immersive world of heroes, battles, and historical dramas.

The attraction is famous for its numerous daily live performances, including The Three Attacks on Zhu Village (《三打祝家庄》), The Snowy Mountain Temple (《风雪山神庙》), and the spectacular nighttime Iron Flower Show (打铁花), a national-level intangible cultural heritage performance featuring sparks of molten iron flying through the night sky.

Rating: 4A Tourist Attraction
Best Experience: Martial arts culture, live performances, evening entertainment
Admission: Around RMB 80

Kaifeng Fu (开封府): Exploring Ancient Government Culture and Bao Zheng Legends

Located beside Baogong Lake (包公湖), Kaifeng Fu was the administrative center of the Northern Song Dynasty capital. It is closely associated with famous historical officials including Bao Zheng (包拯), Ouyang Xiu (欧阳修), and Fan Zhongyan (范仲淹).

Today, the attraction recreates ancient government scenes through interactive performances such as the opening ceremony of the government office and Bao Zheng’s courtroom trial. Visitors can learn about the legal system, official culture, and famous historical stories of ancient China.

Rating: 4A Tourist Attraction
Best Experience: Ancient government culture, Bao Zheng stories
Admission: Around RMB 65

Longting Park (龙亭公园): Imperial Palace Heritage and Classical Gardens

Longting Park was built on the former imperial palace site of the Northern Song Dynasty. As one of Kaifeng’s most iconic landmarks, it offers visitors a chance to appreciate royal architecture and traditional Chinese gardens.

From Longting Hall, visitors can overlook Pan Lake (潘湖) and Yang Lake (杨湖), experiencing the atmosphere of the ancient imperial capital. The park is particularly attractive during spring flower seasons and the autumn chrysanthemum festival.

Rating: 4A Tourist Attraction
Best Experience: Royal history, gardens, seasonal flowers
Admission: Around RMB 35

Iron Pagoda Park (铁塔公园): A Thousand-Year-Old Northern Song Landmark

Located in Shunhe Hui District (顺河回族区), Iron Pagoda Park protects the famous Kaifeng Iron Pagoda, which was built in 1049 during the Northern Song Dynasty. Despite its name, the pagoda is constructed from glazed bricks with a dark iron-like appearance.

Known as the “First Pagoda Under Heaven,” it is one of China’s finest examples of ancient pagoda architecture and an important symbol of Kaifeng’s long history.

Rating: 4A Tourist Attraction
Best Experience: Ancient architecture, Buddhist culture
Admission: Around RMB 30

Daxiangguo Temple (大相国寺): A Famous Royal Buddhist Temple

Daxiangguo Temple is one of China’s most famous Buddhist temples and was once a royal temple of the Northern Song Dynasty. It is also connected with the famous story of Lu Zhishen (鲁智深) uprooting a willow tree from the classic novel Water Margin (《水浒传》).

The temple preserves traditional Buddhist architecture and provides visitors with a peaceful cultural experience in the historic center of Kaifeng.

Rating: 4A Tourist Attraction
Best Experience: Buddhist culture, ancient architecture
Admission: Around RMB 40

Baogong Memorial Temple (包公祠): A Tribute to China’s Famous Judge

Baogong Memorial Temple was built in honor of Bao Zheng, one of the most respected officials in Chinese history known for his honesty and fairness. Together with Kaifeng Fu, it forms an important tourism theme around Bao Zheng culture.

The temple displays historical stories, traditional architecture, and cultural exhibits related to this legendary figure.

Rating: 4A Tourist Attraction

Kaifeng City Wall (开封城墙): Discovering the “City Beneath the City”

Kaifeng City Wall reflects the city’s long history of reconstruction after repeated flooding from the Yellow River. The city is famous for the archaeological phenomenon known as “city stacked upon city,” where ancient urban layers exist beneath modern streets.

The Daliang Gate Ancient Horse Road Museum (大梁门古马道遗址博物馆) helps visitors understand Kaifeng’s changing urban history through exhibitions and digital displays.

Rating: 4A Tourist Attraction

China Han Yuan Stele Forest (中国翰园碑林): A Garden of Chinese Calligraphy

Located near Longting Park, China Han Yuan Stele Forest combines traditional gardens with a large collection of calligraphy works and stone inscriptions. It is an excellent destination for visitors interested in Chinese writing, traditional art, and ancient carving techniques.

Rating: 4A Tourist Attraction

Tianbo Yang Mansion (天波杨府): Exploring Yang Family Generals Culture

Tianbo Yang Mansion introduces the legends of the Yang Family Generals, a famous military family of the Northern Song Dynasty. Through exhibitions, performances, and traditional architecture, visitors can learn about stories of loyalty, bravery, and patriotism in Chinese history.

Rating: 4A Tourist Attraction

Kaifeng Museum (开封市博物馆): Understanding the History of the Ancient Capital

Kaifeng Museum is one of the best places to understand the city before visiting historical attractions. The museum displays cultural relics related to Kaifeng’s dynasties, especially the Northern Song period, including ancient government culture, archaeological discoveries, and urban development.

Admission: Free
Note: Closed on Mondays

Shanshan-Gansu Guild Hall (山陕甘会馆): Traditional Merchant Architecture

Built by merchants from Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces, Shanshan-Gansu Guild Hall is famous for its exquisite brick carvings, stone carvings, and wood carvings. It represents the commercial culture and craftsmanship of ancient China.

Rating: 2A Tourist Attraction

Gulou Night Market and Shudian Street (鼓楼夜市 & 书店街): Kaifeng’s Food and Cultural Center

The Gulou Night Market is one of Kaifeng’s most famous destinations for local cuisine. Visitors can taste traditional snacks such as Yangrou Kangmo (羊肉炕馍), fried Liangfen (炒凉粉), almond tea (杏仁茶), and Huaqiao Juanfen (华侨卷粉).

Nearby Shudian Street is a historic cultural street filled with bookstores, traditional shops, and old-city atmosphere, making it a perfect place for an evening walk.

Kaifeng Tourist Attraction Ranking

Complete Kaifeng Tourist Attractions List (English-Chinese)