Dragon Pavilion Park (Long Ting), Henan, China

51Travelled_the_world 5:00 PM Oct 28, 2009

Kaifeng, Historical City of amazing sites
Kaifeng, in Henan Province, Central China is an amazing place to visit. Don't try to rush around here in just a couple of days, there is far too much to see. Beware of the very expensive theme park and don't be fooled by its ancient appearance. The rest of the city is wonderful. The people are friendly and extremely helpful. We paid just 50RMB (approx. $7.5) for the whole day, for a three wheeled taxi whose driver was full of useful information. Each morning he collected us from our hotel at 8am and drove us to site after site. While we wondered around he waited outside. At some of the historical sites he in came with us (He had a special pass) and acted as our guide. No, he didn't speak English, but luckily my travel partner is Chinese. For me the entire trip was a highlight. If I had to single out one place in particular it would be Longting Park (Dragon Park). The buildings, like all historical buildings in China, have been carefully and accurately restored. Some are as old as 711AD and some sites date back as far as 250BC. I thought it was better than the Forbidden City in Beijing, simply because it is less commercial, OH, and there were fewer people. Every Historical site in Kaifeng is worth a visit, but whatever you do; don't miss Longting Park or the Iron Pagoda, a 55M high 13 storey structure that dates back to 1069. You can climb to the top, but be warned, it is not for the feint hearted or weak legged. The steps inside are very narrow and some are quite high. In fact going up was not too bad, but coming down is a strain on your knees. What more could I say? Just go there and see for yourself! I would be happy to give you more details.

4MIKELOW 5:00 PM Apr 29, 2015

A glimpse of ancient emperor's throne
Kiafeng was the capital of six dynasties in the past , second only to Xi'an. It has many ancient sites and stories awaiting foreign tourists to explore. Dragon Pavillion Park was built on an ancient site where past emperors lived and conducted its official meetings more than a thousand years ago. This park is very huge , with typical Chinese landscape of pavilions , lakes and gardens and require lots of walking. The main attraction here is the restored chamber where past emperors handled country's affairs. It is a must see site here. The best time to visit is in November during the annual chrysanthemum (city flower) fair. Lot of colours and display but also lots of crowd.