▲ Longxing Temple, also known as the Great Buddha Temple, is located on Dongmenli Street in Zhengding County, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province. Originally the Longteng Garden of Murong Xi of the Later Yan during the Eastern Jin and Sixteen Kingdoms period, it was converted into a temple in 586 AD (the sixth year of the Kaihuang era of Emperor Wen of Sui) and initially named Longcang Temple. It was renamed Longxing Temple during the Tang Dynasty and later changed to Longxing Temple in the Qing Dynasty. It is one of China's earliest, largest, and most well-preserved Buddhist temples. Covering an area of 82,500 square meters, the temple complex features over ten halls of varying sizes distributed along the north-south central axis and its sides, arranged in a harmonious hierarchy. It serves as an important example for studying the architectural layout of Buddhist temples from the Song Dynasty.
▲ Rongguo Mansion is located on Ningrong Street and was constructed to facilitate the filming of the TV series "Dream of the Red Chamber." It was meticulously designed based on descriptions from the classical literary masterpiece - "a celestial mansion with golden gates and jade doors, a noble residence with osmanthus halls and orchid palaces" - as well as Qing dynasty wooden architectural standards. The complex also adheres to princely residence regulations outlined in the "Collected Statutes of the Great Qing," replicating late Ming and early Qing dynasty architectural styles. The site consists of two main sections: Rongguo Mansion and Ningrong Street. Covering 22,000 square meters, it features 4,700 square meters of built space with 212 rooms and 102 covered corridors.
▲ The Zhengding Ancient City Wall is one of Zhengding's iconic structures, built during the Eastern Jin and Sixteen Kingdoms period over 1,600 years ago. The Zhengding City Wall follows a prefectural-level design, winding majestically with a unique layout. Spanning 12 kilometers in circumference, it features four gates: Yingxu (East), Changle (South), Zhenyuan (West), and Yong'an (North). Each of the four gates has three layers of fortifications—an inner wall, an outer wall, and a barbican—requiring passage through three gates to enter or exit Zhengding City. This intricate defensive layout, which made the city easy to defend and difficult to attack, is rare in China. Looking south from the South Gate, you can see the night view of the Hutuo River, with Shijiazhuang's urban area on the opposite bank. Looking north from the South Gate, the ancient city of Zhengding unfolds, where the four nationally protected pagodas of Zhengding stand out prominently!
▲ Zhengding Scenic Area is located in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province. It is a national historical and cultural city, formerly known as Changshan and Zhending. Historically, it was known as one of the "Three Heroic Towns of the North" along with Beijing and Baoding, with a history of over 1,600 years. The scenic area is situated in the central North China Plain, adjacent to Shijiazhuang city. It covers an area of 468 square kilometers and has a population of 430,000. In 2000, its GDP was 6.61 billion yuan and fiscal revenue was 227 million yuan, ranking among the top ten counties in Hebei Province. During the Spring and Autumn period, Zhengding was the capital of the Xianyu State. After the establishment of Dongyuan County in the early Han Dynasty, it was renamed Zhending, and then given its current name during the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty. Within its borders, there are national key cultural relic protection units such as Longxing Temple and Linji Temple, as well as over twenty municipal and county-level cultural relic protection units. It is known as "Nine Towers, Four Pagodas, and Eight Great Temples," encompassing architectural remains from eight dynasties.
