A Joyful Four-Day Trip to Kaifeng (Part 2)

After watching the welcoming ceremony at the entrance of Qingyuan Park at 9:00 AM, I first strolled around the Chrysanthemum Garden. Then I realized the large shows were quite far apart, requiring repeated trips, so I only watched a few smaller performances before heading to Songyan Restaurant for lunch. At Songyan, I bought seats 17-19 in a row. Odd-numbered seats were on the right-hand side of the stage, allowing me to see the NPCs dining at a table on the second floor directly opposite. However, some of the text on the backdrop was reversed, so even-numbered seats are recommended. As for the performance, it was initially novel, but became rather mundane afterward. I didn't particularly enjoy the later acts, starting with the magic show. The food was okay; the perilla water was delicious, but the meat was too tough. I only took one bite of the xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and gave up. Overall, the value for money was so-so. I haven't tried anything similar before, but it's worth a try if you want to experience something new. After lunch, I watched "Yue Fei's Spear Challenge to Xiao Liang Wang," and then rushed to "The Battle of Tokyo." Unlike "Yue Fei," this show didn't have a dedicated performance area; it was just on the roadside with very few rows of seats, so you really had to hurry. After the show, we went for dinner. We ordered a glass noodle casserole and a basket of shumai; the price was reasonable and the taste was good. After dinner, we went to see the Yancheng Victory performance. We arrived very early and got a front-row seat. Afterwards, we headed home because we didn't see the iron flower performance. On the way out, we stopped by the Chrysanthemum Garden to see the night view, which was quite beautiful. On the morning of the 3rd, we set off for Kaifeng Prefecture. At the entrance, we watched the welcoming ceremony—it was incredibly crowded! Even the city gate tower was packed. We walked around inside; it felt a bit like the Huai'an Prefecture government office. We watched the 11:00 AM performance of "The Case of the Chariot at the Gate," the only theatrical version with live actors that morning—a must-see! Zhan Zhao is so handsome! The animated version is also handsome! Zhan Zhao is handsome no matter what; indeed, in the story of Kaifeng Prefecture, Zhan Zhao is always the most handsome character. Go to the ticket machine at least half an hour early to pick up your tickets, and then queue early at the entrance so you can choose your seats once you get in. The staff recommended rows 5-9, but we sat in row 4, which felt closer to the front, though we had to turn our heads to see the side views. I recommend sitting in the fifth row on the far left, next to the pillar – Zhan Zhao will be there! After the performance, we went straight to Yingyuelou near the exit for lunch. We ordered a two-person set meal for a little over 60 yuan: one cold dish, two hot dishes, a basket of soup dumplings, and a large bowl of seaweed, tomato, and egg soup – absolutely delicious! Where else can you find such value?! It was my first time trying pork skin jelly, and I fell in love instantly! How could it be so delicious! After lunch, we took a taxi to Bookstore Street, took photos near the Drum Tower, and then strolled around eating. It was quite hot, so I bought a chrysanthemum ice cream cone and a jasmine ice cream cone – very fragrant and delicious! Then we took a bus back from the Drum Tower and went home early to rest. On the 4th day, we went to the Shanxi-Shaanxi-Gansu Guild Hall in the morning. At the intersection, we bought Jiang Xiaobao watermelon sauce and a bottle of chrysanthemum sauce. The sauce was quite good; we used it to dip steamed buns, and it's almost finished. After checking out at noon, we took a taxi to the Kaifeng Museum. Afterwards, it was conveniently located just five kilometers from the high-speed rail station. End of a wonderful trip! There were also some famous attractions, such as the Xiangguo Temple, the Fan Pagoda, and the Iron Pagoda, but we didn't have time to visit them all. However, we went to all the places we most wanted to see and enjoyed the beautiful chrysanthemum exhibition, making the trip worthwhile.