Hey Hey and a Big G’Day toya,
 
 Another wonderful day in Kaifeng city.
 Just as expected.

As my 'visitor' won't arrive until very late this evening or tomorrow sometime I thought I would check out (or re-check out) the Qingming Gardens. I've visited them before but hey, who can say no to a theme park based on an ancient scroll of what Kaifeng once looked like, not the present city, the one nine meters below the present city.
 
Don't get them confused....hahaha!
 
 The description below is copied directly from a pamphlet;
 So it's full of a lot of rather happy and descriptive English!Oh Yeah, I never knew the Emperor of China once wore a Scary Movie mask.
 
The Millennium City Park
 Located on the western bank of the enchanting Dragon Pavilion Lake, the (what is now known as) Millennium City Park covers an area of near four hundred thousand square meters and it is a large scale historic culture theme park. The park was built on the basis of the painting of Qingming Riverside Landscape which is a painting that has been handed down for
generations.

 It was painted by Zhang Zuduan who was a famous painter in the Northern Song Dynasty over a thousand years ago. The painting is actually a precious scroll that reflects the social customs of ancient China during the Song Dynasty. It shows the social living, markets and the city construction pattern of Kaifeng city which was the ancient capital at the time.   

 The full line of the northern garden displays the royal garden and entertainment in the royal court of the Beisong Dynasty.   You can appreciate the corridors and palaces in the imperial city and enjoy their inviolability and loftiness. You can stroll through the pavilions and buildings, the beautiful water and the flaunting flags all come to your eyes. The Palatial Hall near the water, Fuyun Pavilion, Kowloon Bridge and the marvelous imperial city of imperial city of Beisong Dynasty are marvelous and spectacular!
 
 In here all the baldness and awfulness are swept away leaving only the passion and spree in the flourishing age. When you are indulging in the common customs and folkway of the Song Dynasty then in a sudden you have been led into a delicately arranged performance. Look! Isn't the pock-faced Bao Zheng walking slowly from the road? The figures full in vim and vigor on the square turned out to be the bawcock of Liagshan Mountain who once rescued Song Jiang from execution ground.

 Here concubines of the king are playing polo. There you can here the boom of the cannon from the water surface, even the scream of the cock in the cock ground. And then incidentally you may meet the ever forgettable game, water puppet and by the way you may watch the acrobatics performance in this flourish city without darkness.
 When you are tired please have a rest and enjoy the graceful and fluttering music performed with bell set chime, tasting the never failing ancient charm. A world established by lights, colours and luck, the paradise interlaced by fancy, illusion, enthusiasm and vitality! There is no distinction of the old and young, the rich and poor here. Only the laughter's same, for it produces happiness, cock fighting, arrow throwing into pot, arrow shooting and etc.

 You can enjoy the on site handicraft performance such as Bian embroidery, xylograph new year painting, porcelain, tea ceremony, spinning, painting, flour figure, sugar figure and etc. Also you can see some seldom seen appliance for every day use such as farm tools, water wheel, milling, loom and etc.
 
The ancient entertainment such as dart, archery, catapult, rope climbing, hoop jumping, swing, sliding board and etc can not only make the children happy but also can make childish of the adults germinate again to experience the Song Dynasty! Your free park map is in both English and Chinese and it also gives you a program list of all times for the performances which do begin on time.

Beers N Noodles toya…..shane
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The soundtrack to this entry was by Sheryl Crow
 The album was 'Tuesday Night Music Club'
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