Confucian Temple Confucian Temple of the County The Zhengding County
Confucian Temple is located on the west side of Yucai Street in the Old Town of Zhengding; it faces south with its back to the north. According to the county annals, it was built in 1374, but based on architectural style, it is believed to have been constructed in the late Tang or early
Five Dynasties period. The existing structures include a screen wall, a Pan Pool (泮池), a Halberd Gate (戟門), east and west side halls, and the Main Hall of Dacheng (大成殿), which is considered the earliest surviving Dacheng Hall of a Confucian temple in China.
Confucian Temple of the Prefecture The Zhengding Prefectural Confucian Temple was founded in 1070. It underwent several renovations during the
Northern song,
Jin,
Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. At the beginning of the People's Republic of China, the main architectural structures were still largely intact. The central axis of the complex included a ceremonial archway, Lingxing Gate, Pan Pool, Pan Bridge, Shrine of Notable Officials, Shrine of Worthy Locals, Halberd Gate, East and West Side Halls, Dacheng Hall, the Ancestral Hall of Reverence, and the Shrine of the Six Loyalists. In late October 2018, Zhengding County authorities began studying the possibility of acquiring surrounding residential buildings to develop the temple site. By the end of November, official notices and announcements had been issued, and plans for developing the site were finalized. By December 2019, the Halberd Gate and its flanking rooms had been restored, and the residential buildings in front of the gate had been demolished, resulting in the creation of a public plaza. This redevelopment allowed the temple to reemerge as part of the broader cultural and tourism landscape of historic Zhengding. The temple stands as a rare and important monument of Confucian culture in northern China, embodying over 900 years of educational and ceremonial tradition.
Temples Longxing Temple Longxing Temple, also known as the Great Buddha Temple, Longzang Temple, or Longxing Monastery, was originally built during the Sui dynasty. Notable structures within the temple include the Hall of Mani, the Rotating Sutra Library Hall, and the Great Compassion Pavilion, which houses a statue of the Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed
Avalokiteshvara depicted with forty-two arms. The temple also preserves numerous Buddhist statues cast during the Tang and Song dynasties, all considered rare and priceless treasures.
Linji Temple Linji Temple is one of the five major schools of Buddhism in China. In the
Song dynasty (960–1276), two Japanese monks
Eisai and Shuniyo introduced Linji school to
Japan. Linji Temple is the cradle of
Linji (Rinzai) school of both
Chinese and
Japanese Buddhism. The temple was added to
National Key Buddhist Temples in Han Chinese Area's list in 1983. The eldest thing in the temple is the Chengling Stupa, which still preserves the architectural style of the
Liao and
Jin dynasties (916–1234).
Kaiyuan Temple Kaiyuan Temple, originally named Jingguan Temple and later renamed Jiehui Temple, is located on the west side of Changsheng Street in Zhengding. It was first built during the
Northern and Southern Dynasties period. The temple was damaged in the late Qing dynasty, and today only the Bell Tower and the Sumeru Pagoda remain. The Bell Tower was initially constructed in 540 AD (during
Eastern Wei) and was rebuilt during the
Tang dynasty (898 AD). It is the only surviving example of a Tang dynasty bell tower. The tower has a two-story structure, stands 14 meters high, and has a square floor plan with three bays in both width and depth. The roof is a double-eaved hip-and-gable style covered with green tiles. In
History of Chinese Architecture,
Liang Sicheng observed that “the lower story's outer eaves appear to follow the Jin and Yuan style, while the upper story was renovated during the Qing dynasty.” The grand dougong brackets are a distinctive feature of Tang dynasty wooden architecture.
Pagodas Chengling Pagoda The Chengling Pagoda (Chengling Ta) is built from gray bricks, it is also known as the Grey Pagoda. It is located in the Village of Linji to the south of Zhengding and was formerly part of the Linji Temple. The Linji Temple was built during the times of the
Eastern Wei dynasty in 540. During the
Tang dynasty, it became the site where the monk
Linji Yixuan founded the Linji School, one of the five schools of Chinese
Chan Buddhism. Both Linji Yixuan and the Linji School derive their names from the village. The pagoda was first built in 867 to serve as a shrine for the mantle and alms bowl of Linji Yixuan. The original pagoda was ruined and replaced during 1161 to 1189 (
Jin dynasty) by the present-day structure. The present pagoda stands on a substructure known as a
Sumeru Pedestal after the mythic
Mount Sumeru and has an octagonal cross-section. It has nine multi-eared storeys and a total height of 33 meters. Its pedestal is richly decorated. Because it is seen as one of the birthplaces of
Zen Buddhism, the Chengling Pagoda is favorite site for pilgrims and tourists from Japan.
Lingxiao Pagoda The Lingxiao Pagoda, also known as the
Wooden Pagoda, is a wood-and-brick construction, which was formerly part of Tianning Monastery, located to the west of Longxing Monastery. It was recorded to have been first built in 860 during the Tang dynasty, it has undergone many repairs and rebuildings since then. The architectural style of the present-day pagoda was created during the
Song dynasty in 1045 and was left unchanged during later repairs. The pagoda has an octagonal floor plan, nine storeys, and a total height of 41 meters. The four lowest storeys are made from bricks decorated with wooden eaves. From the fifth storey upwards, the pagoda construction is entirely made of wood, constructed around a central pillar. While storey height continuously decreases from the bottom to the top of the pagoda, this decrease is particularly steep in the five upper wooden storeys. The pagoda carries a
cast iron spire at its top as well. It is at the foot of this pagoda, that Dutch bishop Mgr. Frans Schraven (1873–1937) and his companions suffered their martyrdom in 1937, at the hands of the Japanese army, because of their refusal to hand over to the soldiers the Chinese women and girls whom had taken refuge in his compound.
Xumi Pagoda The
Xumi Pagoda, named for the mythical
Mount Sumeru, also known as
Summer Pagoda is part of Kaiyuan Monastery which is located to the west of Zhengding. It was erected from stone and bricks and is at 48 meters the tallest pagoda in Zhengding. The pagoda has an austere geometric design with a square floor plan set on a stone platform which is likewise square-shaped. Stones have also been used in the lower part of the first storey. The Xumi Pagoda was built during the Tang dynasty in 636. Apart from a wooden ceiling over the first storey (of which no floorboards remain), the inside of the pagoda is hollow and there is no staircase either. Among the rather plain decorations on the outside are thirteen tiers of eaves as well as stone carvings of the Heavenly Kings at the corners of the stone platform. The pagoda is one of originally four fiducial buildings on the grounds of the Kaiyuan Monastery: Tianwang Hall in the front and Fachuan Hall (now in ruins) in the back, a bell tower (built in 540 during the
Eastern Wei dynasty, renovated in 898 during the Tang dynasty) in the east and the pagoda in the west. Today, the Monastery is largely destroyed and the Xumi pagoda stands surrounded by trees.
Hua Pagoda The Guanghui Temple Huatai Pagoda, called the
Hua Pagoda (
Hua Ta, lit.:
Flower Pagoda, part of Guanghui Temple (), in the south of Zhengding) is a four-storey brick building with an unconventional shape and a total height of approximately 40 meters. While the lower three storeys have an octagonal floor plan, the fourth storey has a circular layout over which the walls taper towards the tip giving the storey a conical shape. On the outside, this storey is richly decorated with carvings of Buddhas, elephants, and aquatic animals. Another unusual feature of the Hua Pagoda or four small attached buildings, which are pagodas themselves and crowned with an egg-shaped tip. These were once lost but have recently been completely restored. The Hua Pagoda was first erected during the Tang dynasty. The present-day structure dates back to a rebuilt during the time of the
Jin dynasty.
Bixi In June 2000, a gigantic
bixi turtle was unearthed in Zhengding's Fuqian Street (). The stone turtle, which originally must have supported a similarly giant stone tablet, is 8.4 m long, 3.2 m wide, and 2.6 m tall, and weighs 107 tons. It is estimated to be around 1200 years old. It has since been moved to Kaiyuan Temple. ==Transportation==