[2025 Zhengding Attraction] Travel Guide for Kaiyuan Temple (Updated May)

#discoverchina Hey hey~ It’s @BaocaiNotCabbage here, taking on the challenge of visiting 5 cities around Beijing 🚄 This time, I couldn’t resist the hype around the Zhengding Night Market and took a weekend trip to Shijiazhuang's Zhengding. Let me break it down for you👇 🗓 Itinerary: Day 1: Beijing → Shijiazhuang Station → Red Star Baozi (Hebei Museum branch) → Hebei Museum → Niuchunhua Noodles (Fangbei Rd branch) → Zhengding Small Commodities Night Market → Zhengding Ancient City → South City Wall Day 2: Mingyue Tower → Rongguo Mansion → Longxing Temple → Tianning Temple → Kaiyuan Temple → Linji Temple → Guanghui Temple → Zhengding Station → back to Beijing 🌟 Highlights & Tips: ① Zhengding Small Commodities Night Market Super popular right now! But heads up—weekends are crowded to the max 😵💫 Nowhere to sit or stand—so unless you love the hustle, try visiting on a weekday! Lots of snacks and goodies to explore 🍢🍡🍤 ② Longxing Temple (📸 Highlights in Photos 3-4) 🎟️ Ticket: ¥50 🌟 One of China’s Top 10 Famous Temples! Don’t miss: Moni Hall → Reverse Seated Guanyin Great Mercy Pavilion → Thousand-Armed Guanyin Rotating Sutra Pavilion → Spinning Sutra Tower Pilushana Hall → Surrounded by a Thousand Buddhas ③ The Four Iconic Pagodas of Zhengding (Photos 5-8) Tianning Temple Pagoda: ¥15 Linji Temple Pagoda: Free Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda: ¥20 Guanghui Temple Pagoda: ¥15 Each has a distinct style—super photogenic 📸✨ ④ Rongguo Mansion (Photos 9-11) 🎟️ Ticket: ¥40 🏠 Filming location for the 1987 TV version of "Dream of the Red Chamber" Step into the Grand View Garden IRL! 📖🌸 #thingstodo #travel

#favouriteitinerary During my recent visit to Zhengding County, an ancient city with over 1,600 years of history, I was truly amazed. Despite its small size on the map, Zhengding was once a significant northern town, attracting renowned architect Liang Sicheng four times and earning praise from writer Lu Xun for its "Oriental Goddess of Beauty." Our tour began at Rongguo Mansion (40 yuan entry) from the 1987 "Dream of the Red Chamber." We then visited Zhaoyun Temple and Longxing Temple (50 yuan), a must-see with six national treasures. Next, we marveled at Tianning Temple's Lingxiao Tower (15 yuan), a unique brick-and-wood structure, and continued to other landmarks such as the Confucius Temple, Kaiyuan Temple, and the South City Wall. The journey showcased Zhengding's profound history and architectural beauty. Liang Sicheng's words, "I have never seen so many historical relics in such a small place in such a short time," perfectly captured my experience. Zhengding County is a hidden gem worth visiting for anyone interested in history and culture. #travel #china

From Xiamen, skip the popular tourist spot Quanzhou and head straight to Fuzhou. The goal is to "fulai" (welcome happiness). How can happiness come? I arrived in the afternoon of the previous day, not far from Sanfangqixiang. So I went there on foot. The sky was very cloudy, and I met a middle-aged man who deliberately pointed me in the wrong direction, which immediately lowered my impression score. I was also lacking in interest, and I was afraid of catching a cold, so I hurried back. Today, when I went out, it was raining lightly from time to time. I was afraid that the rain would get heavier, so I wandered around nearby and went to Kaiyuan Temple. Kaiyuan Temple has been rebuilt recently, so it is rarely mentioned by various self-media. A huge iron Buddha has a simple and elegant charm. There is also a cat, kneeling on the side of the four-faced Buddha, calm and composed. On the other side, a young layman is chanting the Diamond Sutra. It's like a student listening to a teacher's reading, or a teacher listening to a student's recitation of a text. I'm more inclined to the latter. Someone knelt down beside him and kowtowed to Guanyin. He didn't move a muscle and continued to listen carefully to his student's recitation of the text. Perhaps someone's movements are wrong, or their breathing is a little wrong, he will suddenly open his half-closed eyes and release a light like electricity. In a flash. Very agile and powerful. Then continue to close your eyes and kneel on the cushion. Let the world go by. Coming out of Kaiyuan Temple, the subway and bus ran to Yantaishan and Shangxiahang. It's okay to wander around, it's okay to wander around. That's all. But the time doesn't need two or three days. After all, this city is not big. Fortunately, I brought some ripe Pu'er tea. Now I'm drinking Pu'er tea in the hotel and writing. How does happiness come? Like the cat in Kaiyuan Temple: Be calm, be more calm, and happiness will come.

🔍 【Secrets of the Tang Dynasty】 In 2005, a repair worker accidentally broke open the top of the Xumi Pagoda at Kaiyuan Temple in Zhengding, Hebei, and discovered a thousand treasures from the Tang Dynasty! 💎 Gilded Buddha statues, lost scriptures, agate from the Western Regions... Even archaeologists exclaimed, "This is like an underground Buddhist kingdom!" But even more astonishing is that the underground palace has not been fully explored! 🏛 【Older than the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an】 ✨ The only Tang Dynasty bell tower in China: Climb the bell tower built in the 10th year of the Zhenguan era and ring the 1,300-year-old bronze bell (⚠ the oldest existing one!). The sound waves shake the dust from the beams, as if you can hear the morning bell and evening drum from the time of Wu Zetian. ✨ The "twin brother" of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda: The 42.5-meter-high Xumi Pagoda was built 10 years earlier than the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an! 👑 The eight strongmen reliefs on the pagoda hide the fitness secrets of the Tang Dynasty - the muscle lines are accurate to 0.3 millimeters, even modern 3D scanners are impressed! ✨ A building approved by Wu Zetian: The stone pillars of the Sanmen Tower are engraved with forbidden Buddhist scriptures, even Liang Sicheng trembled when he took photos during his investigation: "This is the last DNA of Tang Dynasty architecture!" 🕵 【Secrets of the Underground Palace】 ❶ Mysterious stone box curse: A first-class cultural relic stone box excavated from the underground palace of the bell tower in 1990, with "those who open it will die" engraved in Sanskrit on the surface! 🔐 What is sealed inside? The archaeological community remains silent... ❷ Missing relics from the top of the pagoda: The gilded coffin found during repairs was empty! A monk predicted: "The true relics are still somewhere in the temple..." ❸ Wu Zetian's secret edict: The stone pillars of the Sanmen Tower are engraved with a secret order from the first year of the Ruyi era, suspected to be a feng shui array set up by the empress to seize power! 🧭 📸 【How to Explore Like a Pro!】 ✅ Must-take photo spots: The "Eye of the Tang Dynasty" on the west window frame pillar of the second floor of the bell tower, capturing the Xumi Pagoda and flying birds in the same frame! The "eight-pack abs" of the strongmen reliefs on the Xumi Pagoda, strike a fitness pose and go viral on social media! 💪 ✅ Hidden activities: Find the 7th "tiger-headed donor" on the stone pillars of the Sanmen Tower, touch the tiger's ear for good fortune (a local secret!) Wait at the bell tower at 6 pm to see the sunset through the Tang Dynasty window lattice, casting a thousand-year-old lotus pattern on the ground! ✅ Foodie code: Tell the nearby shop owners "Kaiyuan Temple's three treasures" to unlock the Tang Dynasty vegetarian feast replica - Wu Zetian's favorite "sesame rice"! 🍚

❤️After having breakfast at "Shijiazhuang Nanchengxiang", we arrived in Zhengding near noon. The South Gate parking lot was almost full. After walking around for a while, I was lucky to find a parking space in the underground parking lot of Yanghe Building. ❤️Today's itinerary: Yanghe Tower ~ Linji Temple ~ Guanghui Temple ~ Historical and Cultural Street ~ Liang's Ancestral Hall ~ Kaiyuan Temple (passing by) ~ eating siu mai 1💖Zhengding's tourism is obviously much more professional than Dingzhou and Zhaoxian, with more standardized management and human nature in the details 2❤️There are ways to play for the rich, and there are free places to go. It’s up to you to spend as much as you want. Snack streets can be found everywhere, and the prices are reasonable. You can’t be too demanding about hygiene. It depends on your personal choice. 3❤️The sesame cakes from all over the country have their own characteristics. If there are not many people in line, you can try the freshly baked ones. 🚗Transportation and accommodation Depart from Shijiazhuang, more than ten kilometers away, stay at Shijiazhuang Ximei Wuzhou Hotel (super recommended 💞💞💞) ♥️Food recommendations The freshly baked biscuits are very fragrant, and the salty ones are 2 yuan. One, I think the old brand shaomai has good quality and low price. There are many people queuing up, the quantity is large and the price is good. The overall taste is salty, there is no service, and you have to queue up to find a seat without taking a number. The order is poor. ‼ ️Intimate TIPS ❤️Parking in the ancient city is free. You can park in a convenient place according to your needs. There are many people in the ancient city and there will be traffic control. It is inconvenient to drive. If you are tired of walking, you can take a tricycle. Don't focus on the South Gate parking lot. You can drive north and there are fewer people. Okay! Return to Beijing! 2025.2.3

This Kaiyuan Temple in Zhengding is indeed worth a visit. Inside, there are several treasures. Let's start with the huge Bixi (a mythical creature) on the left side as you enter. This Bixi is the base of the Dezheng Stele from the Five Dynasties period, commissioned by the military governor An Chongrong. Made of bluestone, it is 8.4 meters long, 3.2 meters wide, 2.6 meters high, and weighs 107 tons, making it the largest of its kind in the country. See? It's number one in the nation! That alone is worth the price of admission. You must get up close and take a photo to truly appreciate its imposing presence! Next, let's talk about the bell tower. You might say, bell towers are common in all temples, right? True, but this is the only completely preserved Tang Dynasty bell tower in the country. Lastly, let's discuss the Xumi Pagoda, also known as the Wild Goose Pagoda or the Brick Pagoda, which is the main structure of Kaiyuan Temple. It was built in the 10th year of the Zhenguan era (636 AD) during the Tang Dynasty. Standing 42.5 meters tall, it is a nine-story, densely eaved, square pagoda made of brick and stone, with each story tapering off as it rises. The bottom layer features bas-reliefs of eight muscular men at the four corners, each exquisitely detailed. I took a few casual shots, and upon closer inspection, each one has its own unique expression. Take a look at the pictures for yourself. After all this, is there anything that piques your interest? If you're curious, then... it's so close and so beautiful, spend a weekend in Hebei

The Mahavira Hall, also known as the Purple Cloud Hall, is the main structure of Kaiyuan Temple. The Mahavira Hall was originally constructed in the second year of the Chuigong era of the Tang Dynasty (686 AD), and has undergone several disasters and reconstructions during the Tang, Southern Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties. The existing building is a relic from the tenth year of the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty (1637 AD).

Inside Kaiyuan Temple, apart from the pagoda and buildings, there is another captivating feature, which is the stone carvings scattered in the corners of the temple. The largest one is called Bi Xi (pronounced: bì qí), which is currently the largest and heaviest stone carving known in China, and it is also the heaviest stone carving I have ever seen. The most interesting are the three stone lions; two seem to be whispering something to each other, while the other tries hard to listen to what they are saying. They are incredibly lifelike. The stone carvings and engravings scattered in the corners of the walls are obviously treasures at first glance, exceptionally vivid and lively, as if they were alive. Not to mention the figures under the corners of the Sumeru Pagoda. In short, for a 20 yuan ticket, you can enjoy top-notch stone carvings and engravings inside Kaiyuan Temple! It's very much worth it!

The renovation has started, huh? The ticket price is 20 yuan, free for those above 60 years old. Kaiyuan Temple was originally built in the second year of Xinghe of the Eastern Wei Dynasty (AD 540), originally named Jingguan Temple, and is one of the eight major temples in Zhengding ancient city. It was renamed Kaiyuan Temple in the twenty-sixth year of the Tang Dynasty's Kaiyuan era (AD 738). The main buildings in the temple include the Three Gates Tower, the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Kaiyuan Temple Sumita Pagoda, the Kaiyuan Temple Bell Tower, and the ruins of the Dharma Ship Hall. The main hall of Kaiyuan Temple is located at the back, and the layout of the tower and pagoda standing opposite each other is a typical example of the architectural layout of Buddhist temples in the Tang Dynasty, occupying an important position in the history of Chinese architecture. As the saying goes, 'A layman enjoys the show; an expert enjoys the technique.' The two stone lions in the southeast corner of the courtyard caught my attention. A female tourist said to her partner, 'Hey, look! Don't these two lions look like they are whispering to each other?...'^_^

| Step into Kaiyuan Temple in Zhengding Ancient City, Hebei. Zhengding Ancient City Kaiyuan Temple is located at No. 109, Yan Zhao South Street, Zhengding County, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province Kaiyuan Temple has a long history It was built in the second year of Xinghe in the Eastern Wei Dynasty (AD 540) It is one of the eight temples in Zhengding Ancient City Kaiyuan Temple is antique The cultural atmosphere is strong The main buildings in the temple include Sanmen Building, Heavenly King Hall, Sumeru Pagoda, Bell Tower and the ruins of the Law Ship Hall, etc. This treasure temple is very worth coming to explore history and appreciate culture

In-depth One-day Tour Guide to Zhengding Ancient City, Shijiazhuang 📸 Longxing Temple: Reserve 2-3 hours to appreciate the Song Dynasty Buddhist architecture and cultural relics. 📸 Tianning Temple Lingxiao Tower: Appreciate Tang Dynasty architecture and tower heart structure. 📸 Kaiyuan Temple Sumeru Tower: Appreciate the Tang Dynasty brick and stone structure nine-level secret eaves square tower. 📸 Linji Temple Chengling Tower: Appreciate the octagonal nine-level secret style solid brick tower, experience Zen culture. 📸 Guanghui Temple Hua Tower: Appreciate the flower tower type, understand the architectural features. 📸 Prefecture Confucius Temple: Appreciate the Yuan Dynasty architectural style. 📸 County Confucius Temple: Understand the architectural features of the Five Dynasties period. 📸 Zhengding Ancient City Changle Gate: Visit one of the four city gates, feel the ancient city defense system. Tourism costs: Ticket cost: Depending on the ticket prices of each scenic spot, it is recommended to inquire in advance and purchase joint tickets to save costs. Transportation cost: Depending on the individual's departure and arrival locations, the cost will also be different. It is recommended to plan the itinerary and transportation in advance. Catering cost: There are many snack bars and restaurants in Zhengding Ancient City, where you can taste local delicacies. Choose the right food and price according to personal taste and needs. Other costs: If necessary, consider buying some souvenirs or special products, etc. Precautions: Inquire about the opening hours and ticket prices of each scenic spot in advance to avoid delaying the itinerary. Comply with the regulations of the scenic area, protect cultural relics and the environment. Pay attention to personal safety and property safety, do not casually talk to strangers or accept help from strangers. I hope this guide can help you better plan the in-depth one-day tour of Zhengding Ancient City in Shijiazhuang! Have fun!