//
Running north from Gulou Square this busy street is lined with a mix of old wooden and newer concrete buildings in various styles. Originally called Big Store Street in the Ming Dynasty it was renamed Bookstore Street in the Qing Dynasty when it became the center for shops selling books, paper and pens. Carved doors, shuttered windows and painted roof beams peek out from between oversized billboards but there is still plenty of facade remaining visible to give a feeling of the old street.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
大相国寺; Dàxiāngguósì; lit. Temple of the Chief Minister
This temple was built AD555 during the Qi Dynasty with new buildings added in 1661 and 1766. The entire complex has 64 temples but the three main halls are of the greatest interest. The large rectangular Tathagata Hall (Daxiongbaodian) is where monks perform daily chanting rituals in front of three huge Buddhas. In the middle is an impressive bronze Sakyamuni, left is Amitabha and right is the Medicine Buddha, each with a silk hood surrounding their head. At the back of the three Buddhas is a Goddess of Mercy standing on a dragon's head and flanked by various golden figures. Rising behind them to the roof are a multitude of heavenly figures supported on clouds. Along the side are sculptures of some peculiar looking Arhats; look for the one with an abnormally long arm reaching almost to the roof. The octagonal Arhat Hall (Louhandian) is beautifully constructed with upturned eaves and painted roof beams. The hall houses a breathtakingly beautiful four-sided golden Avalokitesavara said to be carved from a single tree over 50 years. She has six main arms, one set holding aloft a Buddha and 1000 other arms radiating outward with an eye in each palm. The rear Tripitaka Hall has two floors, the upper holding sutras and the lower a white Burmese jade Buddha in the Burmese style and a glass replica of the Emerald Buddha in Thailand’s Grand Palace. Unfortunately, all halls have a No Photo policy which is rarely adhered to even by local tourists, and rarely enforced by the attending monks.
延庆观
A small temple containing a two-story pagoda with a beautiful blue glazed tile balcony and painted carvings on the front gate.
龙亭公园
The area around Dragon Pavilion was the site if the Ming dynasty palace of Prince Zhou. At the southern end of the street leading to Dragon Pavilion stands a reconstructed Wu gate. The remainder of the street is lined with many old buildings. In the late Ming period the palace was destroyed by floods, leaving only the foundations buried 5m under modern Kaifeng, however the city walls were later built along the same axis. A long bridge divides Yangjia Lake leading to the pavilion itself. Much the same views of the pavilion and lake can be seen by walking around the right side of the lake (without buying a ticket) as from inside the park.
中国翰园碑林
A cultural garden combining traditional landscaping with Chinese calligraphy and stone-carving art. Founded in 1985, it contains thousands of inscribed stone tablets arranged in several galleries, presenting the development of Chinese characters and calligraphy from oracle-bone script to modern styles. The southern part contains lakes, pavilions, artificial hills and gardens, while the northern part contains the main stele galleries.
包公祠
Temple built to honor Lord Bao.
清明上河园
Kaifeng Qingming River Garden is a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction, a large historical and cultural park with Song culture as the theme.It is based on the famous Northern Song Dynasty painter Zhang Zetuan's work "Qingming River Map" for the model built.The scenic area covers an area of more than 600 mu, of which 180 mu of ancient ships, landscape construction area of more than 30,000 square meters, forming a large-scale Song-like ancient architectural complex in Central Plains.