Xingtai Kaiyuan Temple Park

Xingtai Kaiyuan Temple Park

Xingtai Kaiyuan Temple Park is a cultural tourism attraction.

Xingtai Kaiyuan Temple Park is located in the middle section of Xingzhou North Road in the urban area. Built during the Tang Dynasty, it served as the national center of Buddhist culture during the Yuan Dynasty. It was once an imperial temple for both the Tang and Yuan dynasties and is a national-level cultural heritage site. According to the Xingtai County Annals, “At dawn’s first light and amid the evening mist, as monks chanted scriptures, the sound of temple bells could be heard for miles.” To restore its former glory, Xingtai City began renovating and expanding Kaiyuan Temple in 2006, establishing a religious culture area on the eastern side of the temple's central axis.

The park features 17,360 square meters of green space, 1,306 square meters of water bodies, 31,268.2 square meters of paved areas, 643.8 square meters of buildings and structures, and 3,620 square meters of parking space. Its construction includes roads, drainage systems, pathways, landscaping, ancient architecture, decorative features, sculptures, conceptual rivers, lighting, and square development.

The park’s grand three-gate, seven-story memorial archway stands 13 meters tall and 26.8 meters wide. It is a majestic piece of ancient architecture, notable in scale, style, and presence for northern China. The stone used is all Fujian-produced white granite known as "Quanzhou White." The design combines northern and southern styles — the outer frame reflects the grandeur of the north, while the carved patterns feature southern characteristics. At the top of the archway are four large characters written by Shen Peng, former chairman of the China Calligraphers Association: 盛世开元 (Prosperous Times, Kaiyuan), carved in relief with bold and powerful strokes. Along the pathway between the grand archway and the new Kaiyuan Temple, six stone lanterns stand on each side, with three large lotus flowers in the center.