Shudian Jie, or Bookstore Street, is one of Kaifeng's more atmospheric old commercial streets. Its low, tiled shopfronts and long run of book, stationery, snack, and souvenir shops give a more lived-in feel than the city's bigger reconstructed Song-dynasty attractions.
Come late in the day, when browsing turns into eating and the street becomes part of Kaifeng's evening circuit. It is not a museum street, and that is its strength: it still works as a place to wander, buy something small, and watch local life pass through an ancient-capital setting.