Kaifeng

Kaifeng, one of the seven ancient capitals of China, sits precariously on the flood plains of the Yellow River. It has a difficult relationship with the river, which is simultaneously the city's benefactor, the waterways connecting Kaifeng with north, south and east, and its destroyer, repeated floods having razed the city to the ground on numerous occasions.

Like Xi'an, the old part of the city is situated within four fortified walls, and there are some lovely old streets. Shudian Jie is the main drag, a pretty old street lined with wonderful two-storied Qing Dynasty balconied houses, which are crafted with intricate wooden carvings and topped off with old-style pagoda roofs. The street plays host to a vibrant night market, full of clothes, jewellery and, especially, food stalls. The people of Kaifeng like to walk up and down, up and down Shudian Jie every night; it's the street to see and be seen on.

We walked through the market that night like zombies, barely taking any of it in. My memory is held firm at the edges by wooden Qing buildings, then in the middle is a complete blur: smoke and cooking smells; good-looking couples promenading; myriads of ancient bicycles heaped together; chairs upon chairs around low wooden tables; people eating, drinking, chatting; us somewhere in there too, wandering vacuously, silently. We decided to have a quiet few days and regroup, before heading to the busier metropolises of Qingdao and Dalian.