Dragon Pavilion

Dragon Pavilion

Location: Longting District, Kaifeng City, Henan Province
Area: 393,000 ㎡ land area & 473,000 ㎡ water area
Entrance fee: 35 Yuan / person (40 Yuan in peak season of tourism and 55 Yuan during the Chrysanthemum Festival in the park); half price for students.
How to get there: take buses No.1 or No. 20 at the Kaifeng Railway Station

History of Dragon Pavilion

Dragon Pavilion, or Long Ting (龙亭) in Chinese, is a AAAA national scenic spot known for its rich historical relic and beautiful natural landscape worth a visit in Kaifeng City, Henan Province.

As one of six famous ancient imperial cities of China, Kaifeng reached up to its heyday as the capital of the prosperous Northern Song Dynasty (960-1279) for 167 years in ancient China. When the power of the subsequent Yuan Dynasty invaded the city, most of the palaces of Northern Song Dynasty were burnt down, and the levee failure of the Yellow River gave rise to more destroy, which made the majestic imperial constructions ruins.

Constructed on the ruins in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the Dragon Pavilion centers on the resplendent and imposing Hall of Dragon Pavilion, and comprises some other architectural complex like Meridian Gate, Jade Belt Bridge, screen wall and Wanshou Palace, which show the splendor of the imperial garden.

What to see in the Dragon Pavilion Park?

The Dragon Pavilion is in fact not a "pavilion" but a traditional Chinese palace-like building constructed on a 13-meter-high black-bricked stylobate with white-stone handrail, 36 zhang (丈, a Chinese unit of length, 1 zhang = 3 1/3 meters) away from the ground with 72 stairs, which symbolize the 36 Tianggang stars and the 72 Disha stars of the Big Dipper according to Chinese Taoist theory. The stairs leading to the base of Dragon Pavilion is also surrounded with white-stone handrail and the middle is carved with flying dragons on cloud, which are commonly seen in Chinese imperial palaces.

On the west side of the Dragon Pavilion there are several side-halls, which are now function as a wax work museum, reflecting the politics, economy, culture, diplomacy, science and technology of Northern Song Dynasty by nine groups of wax statues. All of the complexion, hair, dress, adornment of the waxen historical personages are made according to strict textual criticism so that the scenes would be as real as possible.

At the foot of the Dragon Pavilion is a 400-meter-long avenue, which has been rebuilt to be an "imperial street of the capital of Northern Song Dynasty", on both sides of which Song-style shops line, selling local food, handicraft articles, paintings and calligraphies.

Besides, the Dragon Pavilion is the main site of the Chrysanthemum Festival of Kaifeng City in autumn (usually in October), during which the park will be decorated with an ocean of chrysanthemums.