As a national historical and cultural city with a thousand-year heritage, Zhengding is a landmark not to be missed by every cultural tourist. I have been to Zhengding County many times since I was a child, and I will visit again on July 16, 2021, but the aftertaste is endless.
Experts who have been to the Internet-famous city of Xi’an will feel a sense of deja vu when they come to Zhengding. Yes, Zhengding satisfies the curiosity of Tang and Song culture lovers! Those who have never been to Xi'an around Shijiazhuang may wish to visit Zhengding first, and then find an opportunity to check in in Xi'an.
Now I will summarize the personal experience of visiting Zhengding for many years, and share it after making a super-valuable travel guide, hoping to be a little bit helpful to the donkey friends who go to Zhengding.
1. Coming to Zhengding:
Zhengding is a county under Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, located in the hinterland of the North China Plain. The Beijing-Guangzhou Railway runs from north to south on the west side of the county. Friends who like to take the train to Beijing in the south should pass by Zhengding. The next stop north of Shijiazhuang Station on the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway is Zhengding Railway Station. Friends who come from Shandong in the east, and those who come from the northwest, can consider the Shide Line, Shitai Railway, and get off at Shijiazhuang North Station. As an experienced traveler, you can look for a direct train to Zhengding Railway Station; for general travellers, it is recommended to get off at Shijiazhuang Railway Station.
Get off at Zhengding Station, go west to Zhengding County; get off at Shijiazhuang North Station, you can take a bus, taxi, online car, etc. to Zhengding County. Get off at Shijiazhuang Station, you can take a bus, taxi, online car-hailing, etc. to Zhengding County, or take Shijiazhuang Metro Line 3 to Line 1, arrive at Fuze Station, and then take a bus, taxi, online car-hailing, etc. Zhengding County.
Those who travel by car can refer to the mobile phone map and follow the navigation route to arrive at Zhengding County.
Friends who take the plane can go directly to Zhengding International Airport. Shijiazhuang Airport is located just north of Zhengding County. After getting off the plane, you can take a bus, taxi, or online car-hailing service to Zhengding County.
2. Accommodation Zhengding:
The journey is tiring and requires a reasonable rest. As a tourist city, Zhengding has both high-end star hotels and many express hotels. The destination mentioned above navigates to Zhengding County, usually near the county government. Jinhe Hotel, Jinxing Hotel, Huayang Hotel, Langhua Hotel on the north side of Beiguo Mall, etc. are high-end hotels in Zhengding, and there are a lot of chain hotels , The price of 200 yuan is relatively good, and you can search it on Ctrip, so I won’t go into details.
3. Traveling in Zhengding:
Come to Zhengding to see the history and culture. Mr. Liang Sicheng has visited Zhengding many times to excavate ancient buildings, calling Zhengding an art treasure house of ancient buildings.
I have summed up the essence of the one-day tour route, and I hope it will be helpful to everyone.
Christians can go to the No. 256 Hospital and look around from the outside. The auditorium was built by French missionaries a hundred years ago. Then walk west from Hospital North Road to the intersection, and then you can see the Catholic Church when you go north. To the north is the Christian Church, and these two churches are recently built churches.
Muslims can visit the Chengnan Mosque. There are many Muslims in the south gate area of Zhengding County. There is Zhengding County Muslim Primary School, and the mosque is to the south.
Buddhists can first go to the Linji Temple in the south of the city, the ancestral court of the Linji Sect, to learn more about the origin of the "wake-up call".
If you come to Zhengding for pure tourism, Longxing Temple is a must-see attraction.
Longxing Temple, commonly known as the Great Buddha Temple, was originally established in the Sui Dynasty. The existing Longzang Stele in the temple is an important cultural relic for studying the history of the Sui Dynasty. The Great Buddha Temple was built by Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty, because there is the largest copper-cast Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva in China. In the temple, there is the only extant wooden runner Tibetan Pavilion of the Song Dynasty in the world, which is similar to the runner of Tibetan Buddhism; the inverted Guanyin, which was called the most beautiful Buddha statue by Mr. Lu Xun. It is recommended to play for 1-2 hours.
After leaving Longxing Temple, you can walk to Xinxiu Ancient Street in the south, it is recommended to take 10 minutes. If you are a fan of the Three Kingdoms, you can go straight along the east side of the temple to the north to the intersection, then go east to the Zhaoyun Temple to visit, and feel the war years of gold and iron horses during the Three Kingdoms period. 30 minutes is recommended.
Friends who have the plot of Dream of Red Mansions can go west from the north intersection of the temple, look at the film and television base of the 1987 version of Dream of Red Mansions TV series, and feel the luxurious life of Rongguo Mansion back then. 30 minutes is recommended.
On the north side of the road, you can see the national table tennis training base. As the cradle of table tennis Olympic champions, a large number of table tennis players have been trained here.
Get out of Rongguo Mansion, go west through Antique Street, and walk north, about 5 minutes, you can see a majestic pagoda, which is the wooden pagoda of Tianning Temple. There is only one pagoda left in the temple. It is recommended to walk along the road and look at it. Those who are interested in Buddhism can go inside to see it in detail.
Go north from Tianning Temple to the intersection, turn right and go west. There is a tree-lined street, commonly known as Dashizi Street. On the north side of Shizijie intersection, there is a courtyard house, which is called Majia Courtyard by local people. The courtyard with a history of 100 years has been changed several times and is now the Yuanqu Museum. A miniature Shanxi courtyard was built by professional craftsmen specially hired from Wutai County, Shanxi when it was built. When it's open, I highly recommend checking it out.
Those who are interested in Beiyang warlords can go west across Shizi Street and go to Ximen to see the former residence of Wang Shizhen and the Shuangjie Ancestral Hall, the head of the Beiyang Three Heroes, and the West Gate to the west. Repaired buildings are subject to a fee. It is recommended to take a taxi and return to Grand Cross Street in 30 minutes.
Those who are interested in Confucianism can visit the two Confucian Temples in the same city, which are rare in the country, the Fu Confucian Temple and the County Confucian Temple. Fu Confucian Temple is located on the north side of the intersection from Tianning Temple to Majia Courtyard, north of Jiefang Street Primary School, a renovated Confucian Temple. The County Confucian Temple is located on the west side of Dashizi Street and goes north, on the west side of Zhengding No. 6 Middle School. The Dacheng Hall in the County Confucian Temple was identified by Liang Sicheng as a building of the Five Dynasties, five hundred years earlier than the Dacheng Hall in the Confucian Temple! Those who have studied Confucianism can take a look; if you are interested in the Confucian Temple, it is recommended to take a taxi to the County Confucian Temple to visit, and you can return to Dashizi Street after 30 minutes.
Let me introduce another small cultural relic. Friends who are interested in calligraphy can take a look at it, the Tang Dynasty Fengdong Monument. On the north side of Dashizi Street, on the north side of Changshan Theater, calligraphy has been praised by scholars of all ages! Return to Grand Cross Street in 10 minutes.
At noon, take a break. In the afternoon, at 14:00, move on.
We walked south along Grand Cross Street, and at a glance, there were antique buildings on both sides of the street. To be honest, this is an antique building, but there are many ancient buildings in this street, especially temples and pagodas!
It is estimated that it will take 2-3 hours to walk from the north side of the street to the south side. Of course, you can take a variety of tools such as sightseeing cars, taxis, online car-hailing, and buses. Energetic travelers are advised to walk.
Looking to the right side of the street, what we saw was another majestic pagoda! Hey, where have I seen this tower, let me think about it. Many tourists who have been to Xi'an, the first reaction when they saw this pagoda at first glance, isn't this the Big Wild Goose Pagoda!
Although I have never been to Xi'an, I have seen the Big Wild Goose Pagoda on TV, and my first reaction was, isn't this the Zhengding Pagoda? How did I get to Xi'an? Although they are all in the shape of pagodas in the Tang Dynasty, after careful comparison, there are still certain differences. Zhengding is called Kaiyuan Temple Brick Pagoda. The difference is that the higher the Big Wild Goose Pagoda goes, the smaller the body of the pagoda; the brick pagoda of Kaiyuan Temple is well-proportioned up and down, which is somewhat similar to the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. As a non-professional, I can only see these! Kaiyuan Temple was originally built in the Tang Dynasty, including the bell tower. After years of replacement, the latest infrastructure was completed during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. At the gate of the street, thousands of cultural relics have been unearthed in recent years, and everyone can look at it through the glass. You need to buy tickets to enter the temple, and you can observe the brick tower, bell tower, and the world's largest bì xì at close range.
Follow the street and continue to go south. On the east side of the street, there is Jiaolin Bookstore and Liang's Ancestral Hall. It was a well-known family in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and Liang Menglong was a famous figure, but it should be in disrepair for a long time and has not been opened to the public. Scholars who study this kind of culture can find ways to contact people and visit it.
Going forward, looking up, there is a majestic city gate with a unique shape, which is a witness to the prosperity of Zhengding history. This is the famous Yanghe Tower. During the Yuan Dynasty, Italian Marco Polo traveled around China and visited Zhending Mansion. He was amazed when he saw Yanghe Tower. The building was damaged and demolished around 1960. The buildings we see now are the newly built city towers that have been restored through the collection of original drawings, pictures, text descriptions and other documents in recent years. Different from ordinary city towers, there is a small road in front of the city gate, and the south side is the city gate, which is very strange. It used to be the Guandi Temple. It can be imagined that since the Yuan Dynasty, this has been the stage for performances of Yuan Zaqu. This is the true testimony of the prosperous scene of Zhending Mansion as the saying goes, "Huahua Zhending Mansion, Splendid Taiyuan City".
Walking on the road to the south of Yanghe Tower, I saw another pagoda in the east. This is the green pagoda in Linji Temple, and the written language is Chengling Pagoda of Linji Temple. A blow to the head, the source of the idiom. Linji Temple is a Buddhist temple, which is different from the courtyards of scenic spots such as Longxing Temple, Tianning Temple, and Kaiyuan Temple. It is a Buddhist realm and a religious place. Tickets are not charged, but parents and friends with children, especially those under the age of 10, need to be reminded to try not to let children enter. Curious parents, if you insist on bringing your children inside, please don't make any noise and keep quiet. Linji Temple is the ancestral home of the Linji Sect. The Linji Sect has flourished in Japan, South Korea and other places. Foreign friends often visit. Please pay attention to your words and deeds.
From the monastery, continue to go south for about 300 meters. On the left side of the road, you can see a pagoda with a strange shape that once again shocks your senses. This is Hua Pagoda of Guanghui Temple, commonly known as Hua Pagoda. This tower has a unique shape and is unique in the world. Just take a look from the outside, there is only this tower in the temple. People who study aesthetic architecture can come in and take a closer look.
Further south is the majestic city gate, which is the southern gate of Zhengding military defense, which is also known as the Sanxiong town in the north along with Beijing and Baoding. The majestic city wall and gate are the witnesses of history. You can go to the city gate to reflect the bloody history of the two armies confronting each other and attacking and defending the city gate.
There is also full of passion, it is recommended to take a car to the west side, near the Hengshan plate market, and have a look at what the Chenghuang Temple in Zhengding looks like. Return to Grand Cross Street in 30 minutes.
If you are tired, take a walk on the city gate, blow the breeze of Zhengding in the evening, and overlook the Hutuo River, the mother river of Zhengding. Or sit at the corner of the city wall and relax after a tiring day.
There is still plenty of leisure time, you can continue to walk south from the city gate, look at the ancient stone bridge buried underground for thousands of years, and then take sightseeing cars, taxis, online car-hailing, etc. to see the thick walls and gates on all sides from the outside of the city .
4. Eat in Zhengding:
One side of water and soil nourishes one side of people, and different places have different food cultures. Zhengding, as a town with a profound history, must have a unique diet, which will make travelers who are tired of traveling and traveling endlessly aftertaste.
In terms of reputation, Majia Braised Chicken ranks first in Zhengding. This Ma's old chicken shop is on Dashizi Street, on the west side of the Ma's compound. But this horse is not that horse. This horse is a Hui brother who migrated from Dingzhou, Baoding City 300 years ago. Cui Yongyuan specifically mentioned in his book that according to his taste, this is the best in the country! This is the evaluation of the past few years. In recent years, a new Liu’s old chicken shop has been opened on the north side of the Ma’s old chicken shop. According to the evaluations of ordinary local people, Majiaji is famous and Liujiaji is more delicious.
Siu Mai, a snack that is available all over the country. But Zhengding’s siu mai is commonly known as glutinous rice buns, and has a unique taste. There are Muslim restaurants in the city. The more famous ones are on Dashizi Street. Wang’s siu mai and Gan’s siu mai are on the south side of Majiaji, but my taste is preferred. If so, Ma Lao Lao Siu Mai has a better taste. This siu mai restaurant is located in the center of the county, south of the old Ruitian Building Road, the overall environment is good, giving people a clean and tidy feeling.
Ribs, this is also a national food. Zhengding is famous for Hao’s pork ribs. The old shop is located on the south side of Zhengding Railway Station. There is a new pork ribs shop nearby. The taste is waiting to be tasted.
In addition, the fried pancakes, bean sprouts fried cakes, grilled cakes, and fried noodles are sold in the area of Shijiazhuang, and the eight bowls are not strictly Zhengding specialties, but they are sold in various larger restaurants, so you can taste them according to your own needs. In recent years, the newly launched spring liver, cow leather, Wang different bacon, Hengmao, etc. are all modern products.
Featured restaurants: Ren Shuo Daguo Stew located inside and outside Dongcheng, a hometown restaurant with typical Zhengding local flavor; Haijianli and Grandma’s House located in the north of Tianning Temple; Hometown Taste located in the east of Beiguo Mall, Su in the north of Yingxu Square Beixiaoyuan, Huyue Hotel located near the North City Gate, are both good quality and cheap local body color restaurants. It is recommended not to eat in Wenhua Street as much as possible, you know.
5. Zhengding shopping:
There are several major shopping malls in Zhengding, such as Ruitian Building and Huayang Shopping Mall in the center of the county; Xinruitian Building and Beiguo Shopping Mall in the west of the city are all good places for locals to go shopping. In this era of abundant material supply, you can find Zhengding items that satisfy you in both online and offline shopping malls.
Sixth, Zhengding again
Having been to many cities, I think that to simply understand a place, you can basically understand it in two days, one day to see the characteristic attractions, and one day to see the life of the residents. Thousands of years of Zhengding, the essence of a one-day tour is very compact, but also very fulfilling, it is in line with this fast-paced lifestyle, travel quickly disappears. But to truly understand a place, it requires multiple visits, all-round and multi-angle understanding, and I look forward to learning more about Zhengding again!
