Zhengding Ancient Town

Zhengding holds a concentration of pre-Ming temple architecture rare anywhere in China, the result of its importance as a regional centre from the Tang through the Song. Longxing Temple, founded in the sixth century, contains a bronze Guanyin cast in 971 standing over twenty metres with forty-two arms, one of the largest ancient bronzes in the world, along with the Moni Hall, a Song building of unusual cruciform plan, and a revolving sutra cabinet also from the Song, the oldest surviving example. Four pagodas of different periods and styles stand in the town: Xumi, Hua, Lingxiao and Chengling, spanning the Tang to the Jin. Much of the town wall has been rebuilt.

What you actually see

• The bronze Guanyin - a twenty-metre Song bronze with forty-two arms.
• The Moni Hall - a Song timber hall of rare cruciform plan.
• The revolving sutra cabinet - the oldest surviving example of its kind.
• The four pagodas - Tang to Jin towers in contrasting styles across the town.

When to go

April to May and September to October for the best weather; Hebei summers are hot and winters cold. The town is quiet compared with major tourist sites. A combined ticket covers several temples and pagodas.

Honest expectations

The town wall and parts of the streetscape are recent reconstructions. Sites are spread across the town and involve walking or a taxi. English interpretation is limited, and the significance of the architecture is not obvious without some background.

Nearby

Shijiazhuang lies south; Cangyan Mountain is southwest in the hills.