Reconstruction of the Masterplan of Jinmingchi Park in Northern-Song Bianjing (Modern Kaifeng)

Jinmingchi (Golden Clear Pond) was a famous imperial park of the Northern Song dynasty located outside the city walls to the west of the former capital of Bianjing (modern Kaifeng). As it was typical for Song park architecture, the majority of the structures was built above the water. A historical scroll has survived until the present day that depicts the park and its architecture— Jinmingchi zhengbiao tu (Tournament on Jinming Pond). Additionally, Jinmingchi is described in detail,including the dimensions of several buildings, in the Southern-Song Dongjing Menghualu. Furthermore, in the 1980s and 1990s,when Chinese archaeologists undertook an excavation on the Jinmingchi site, they were able to determine the exact position of the park and its proportions and main dimensions. All this provides us with a good foundation to research and reconstruct the masterplan of Jinmingchi.