Longting (Dragon Pavilion) Scenic Spot

At the northwest corner of Kaifeng City, lies the prominent Longting Scenic Spot. As early as the Song and Jin periods, there was the palace where the emperors lived and worked. The principle part of the Longting complex is the well-known Longting Main Hall, built in 1734 during the reign of Yong Zheng in the Qing Dynasty. The original name was Wanshou Palace (Palace of Longevity).. It has a splendid stone foundation which is about thirteen meters high with seventy-two stairs leading to the top. The Longting Main Hall is nine rooms wide in the front and twenty-six meters high decorated with yellowish-green glazed tiles, delicate sculptures and beautiful pictures. The double-eaved roofs warp upwards, giving the entire structure a look of elegance. Inside the Main Hall lies a huge black stone block called Dragon Stone around which thirteen rolling dragons have been skillfully and precisely engraved. Tradition has it that it is the place where ancient people received the imperial edict and where people enshrine the former emperors’ memorial tablets. Now, in the Main Hall, the wax figures of Zhao Kuangyin, the first emperor of the Song Dynasty along with his high officials and ministers are displayed. On each side outside the Wuzao Gate, stands a large stone lion, created in the Ming Dynasty full of power and grandeur.