Because of the relaxation of zoning and curfew laws during the Song dynasty, commerce thrived in Kaifeng. Where previously the retail businesses and craftsmen's workshops were enclosed in wards, now these sprang up along all the major thoroughfares, the most important being Mahang Street where both businesses and residences could be found.

Shops here were open from four in the morning to midnight, and this night market, or Ghost Market as it was sometimes called, attracted the city's inhabitants who gathered at the many restaurants and wine shops. This night market is still in existence today. There was another large day market called the Wa Market which was at the Great Xianggou Monastery, a Buddhist temple at the center of Kaifeng. This market encompassed so large an area as to accomodate ten thousand shoppers at one time.

If you choose to set up shop in Kaifeng, there are many trades you might pursue - metalworking, woodblock printing (the new paper money could be a most lucrative specialty), textiles, ceramics (Kaifeng was famous for its kilns), agriculture (you will of course be bringing in your wares from the surrounding areas) or shipbuilding (if you have the right contacts, you can get a government contract). Kaifeng during the Song era was the hub of many trade routes which might enable you to become an importer of almost anything. Or you might want to be a landlord, or an investor and let someone else do the work for you.


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