Take you around Kaifeng: Fan Tower, Iron Pagoda, Yanqing Temple

Kaifeng, although it is the ancient capital of eight dynasties, has been flooded by the Yellow River several times, and now there are only three real ancient objects on the ground: Fan (po with the second tone) Tower. Fan Tower was built during the Northern Song Dynasty. The biggest highlight is that more than 7,000 Buddha bricks are inlaid inside and outside the tower body, one brick for one Buddha. Unlike the Iron Pagoda mentioned below, Fan Tower was not built by the government; these Buddha bricks were donated by the people at that time. The original Fan Tower had nine levels, but two were destroyed by lightning during the Yuan Dynasty, and four more were demolished during the early Ming Dynasty in the 'scrape away the royal qi' incident, leaving only three levels. A six-level small pagoda was added on top of the three-level platform in the early Qing Dynasty. The Fan Tower has survived lightning strikes⚡️, wars, and floods to this day, which is indeed fortunate. Iron Pagoda. The Iron Pagoda was built during the Northern Song Dynasty and is known as 'the number one pagoda in the world.' The biggest highlight is that it is made of brown glazed bricks (not made of iron, but the color is very similar to cast iron). It is the tallest, oldest, and best-preserved glazed brick pagoda in China. This place was once the royal temple Kaibao Temple, hence it is also known as Kaibao Temple Pagoda. The patterns of apsaras, lions, dragons, and pagoda-guarding beasts on the glazed bricks are clearly visible. The Iron Pagoda does have an underground palace! Yanqing Temple. Yanqing Temple was built during the Yuan Dynasty to commemorate the founder of the Quanzhen School, Wang Chongyang, who preached and died here. The biggest highlight is that the Jade Emperor Pavilion inside the temple was buried more than 3 meters underground (because Kaifeng city was flooded by the Yellow River several times), and after the founding of the People's Republic, it was lifted out of the ground. There is an introduction to the lifting process in the underground palace. A few suggestions: 🅿️ Fan Tower has a small parking lot with about 20 parking spaces. Don't drive to the Iron Pagoda on holidays, as it is close to Wansui Mountain and the Old River Big Night Market, and sometimes entry is restricted🚫. It is also recommended to ride a shared electric bike to Yanqing Temple (actually, we walked there ) 🔥 These three places are not very crowded, the Iron Pagoda has a relatively larger flow of people, but Fan Tower and Yanqing Temple are almost empty, allowing you to enjoy the tranquility. 🎫 For tickets, Fan Tower and Yanqing Temple are included in the Song Dynasty Imperial City pass, while the Iron Pagoda is free. Opposite Yanqing Temple, there is an old Huang family shop, which is probably not the one you want to go to, Old Huang Ji .