Kaifeng

Former Northern Song capital (960–1127), 70 km east of Zhengzhou. Reconstructed Song-dynasty themed old town, the Iron Pagoda, and the night market — one of the country's oldest.

Kaifeng was the capital of the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127), at a time when it was likely the most populous city in the world. The Yellow River has flooded the city repeatedly, burying earlier strata under silt. The town today is a much-rebuilt theme of its Song self — Millennium City Park (Qingming Shanghe Yuan) recreates the famous Song-era painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival as a working theme park. The Iron Pagoda (a 56m glazed-tile Song pagoda) and the Drum Tower night market (an active 1,000-year-old food market) are the unreconstructed surviving sights.