This reconstructed site of the government offices of the Northern Song has daily theatricals commencing outside the gates – the doors are thrown open and costumed actors play period scenes, complete with cracking whips and the sound of gongs. Drumming, kung-fu displays and Chinese-language plays are staged inside throughout the day. Drama aside, the site is one of Kaifeng's better recreations of Song imperial life, with English explanations, martial parade grounds, a prison and several appearances by the famed Judge Bao.
Kāifēng Fǔ
Henan
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.43 MILES
First founded in AD 555, this frequently rebuilt temple vanished along with Kaifeng in the early 1640s, when rebels breached the Yellow River’s dykes…
2.27 MILES
Kaifeng's most iconic landmark is a magnificent 11th-century Iron Pagoda (55m tall) at the centre of a pleasant park. The gorgeous, glazed-brick edifice,…
1.6 MILES
This stumpy pagoda from 974 is the oldest Buddhist structure in Kaifeng and was originally a nine-storey hexagonal building, typical of the Northern Song…
0.67 MILES
This tiny, elaborately styled guild hall was built as a lodging and meeting place during the Qing dynasty by an association of merchants from Shanxi (山西),…
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13.45 MILES
Originally founded in the Northern Song dynasty, this mosque is housed in a traditional Chinese temple compound with a pretty rose garden. Examine the…
13.06 MILES
Dedicated to the Southern Song military hero Yue Fei, this temple was first founded in 1478. The weatherbeaten temple hasn't seen much restoration, and…
0.6 MILES
Built in 1379, Kaifeng's drum tower was originally located west of here and this site belonged to the bell tower. In the late Ming dynasty, a sickly…
Nearby Henan attractions
1. Temple of the Chief Minister
0.43 MILES
First founded in AD 555, this frequently rebuilt temple vanished along with Kaifeng in the early 1640s, when rebels breached the Yellow River’s dykes…
0.6 MILES
Built in 1379, Kaifeng's drum tower was originally located west of here and this site belonged to the bell tower. In the late Ming dynasty, a sickly…
0.67 MILES
This tiny, elaborately styled guild hall was built as a lodging and meeting place during the Qing dynasty by an association of merchants from Shanxi (山西),…
0.83 MILES
Kaifeng is ringed by a relatively intact, much-restored Qing dynasty wall, which you can climb up at various points. There's precious little to see from…
1 MILES
Site of the former imperial palace, this park is mostly gardens and a lake, into which hardy swimmers plunge in winter. Reached by a bridge, you can climb…
1.6 MILES
This stumpy pagoda from 974 is the oldest Buddhist structure in Kaifeng and was originally a nine-storey hexagonal building, typical of the Northern Song…
2.27 MILES
Kaifeng's most iconic landmark is a magnificent 11th-century Iron Pagoda (55m tall) at the centre of a pleasant park. The gorgeous, glazed-brick edifice,…
5.38 MILES
Housed in a colossal fortress 10km west of town, the Kaifeng Museum contains a modest collection of archaeological finds, woodblock prints and historical…