The garden was constructed according to the famous scroll painting by Zhang Zeduan, a famous painter in the Northern Song Dynasty—the painting of Market Day During the QingMing Festival is regarded as one of the treasures of the ancient Chinese Arts. This large-scale recreational garden covers an area of 33 hectares, including 8 hectares of lakes with 50 ancient boats and ships and over 400 rooms decorated in the Song Dynasty style, which is the largest collection of Song buildings in the central plain.
The huge painting——The Market Day During the QingMing Festival, vividly portrays the prosperous scene of the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, the present Kaifeng. There are numerous buildings like the city gate, the Rainbow Bridge, streets, markets and shops, docks and wharfs. The painting is now kept in the Forbidden City Museum of Beijing.
In the garden, you can boat in the Bian River, stroll along the stone paths, pass through the winding bridges and streets, climb the city walls and enjoy the folk acrobatics, such as shadow play and cock-fighting… all of this will make you feel that you are lost in a dream and striding through time back to the Song Dynasty, more than one thousand years ago.
There are many sites to see in the garden including the winding Bian River which reflects the scenes of the banks on which stand numerous ancient buildings. Outside the city, you can overlook water flowing under bridges; inside, you can see pavilions and buildings in the misty rain as well as farmers' houses, wine shops, teahouses and pawnshops. The streets are crowded with peddlers and performing acrobatics or people having a leisurely drink in the prosperous capital city.
As a living historical culture park, it embodies the features of past time and leads one to appreciation, knowledge, participation and amusement.
As a historical and cultural tour spot, there are science and technology museums, celebrities, Jewish culture and the Memorial Hall for Zhang Zeduan. You can watch many local operas adapted from historical stories from the Song Dynasty, as well as the great evening performance, Dongjing's Dream, which enables you to appreciate the beauty of the art and culture of the Song Dynasty that is presented in its dancing, music and fashion.
As a scenic spot for folk-custom tours, Chinese authorities have done a lot to preserve folk handcrafts and folk customs. You can see the process of making handicrafts, such as Bian embroidery, paintings for new years, enamel wares, tea ceremony, spinning and weaving, figures made from flour and sugar and folk-custom performances, such as acrobatics, folk arts and performances of birds, fighting cocks and dogs.
As a scenic spot for leisure tours, you can buy various souvenirs of Song style and traditional local snacks in the garden. You can tour along the 3,800 meters Bian River to enjoy the scenery in the garden with boatmen and trackers dressed in Song style clothing. And the three-star houses of Song style are ideal places for you to have a rest and to experience the Song culture further.
As a scenic spot for amusement tours, it is unique in that tourists are fully allowed to interact with and participate in the living history park, thus ensuring their enjoyment while visiting the garden. Here, you are not only a visitor, but an actor. For example, you can act as Mr. Right in the competition for marrying Mr. Wang's beautiful daughter and have the opportunity to enjoy the traditional wedding festivities. And you can be the No.1 Scholar in the imperial examination to bring honor to your ancestors. There is a large amusement hall built in the Song style, where many amusement activities are held, including swings, balance beams and many other amusements.
As an ecological scenic spot, this garden was built and forested according to the Market Day During the QingMing Festival. The whole garden combines natural beauty with historical flavor, thus forming a favorable place to have a true rest and evoke your full energy both physically and spiritually. |
Asia Travel 
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