Guide & Highlights | The Octagonal Pavilion Pagoda consists of a main tower surrounded by smaller attached towers, all built entirely from bricks. At the base of the main tower, four small hexagonal pavilion-like towers are attached at the corners, encircling the main tower in varying heights, complementing each other in a delicate and splendid ensemble that is both majestic and graceful. | Highlights | The main tower is a pavilion-style structure, standing 31.5 meters tall in total and divided into four levels. Each level...
Introduction Known as the "Little Mount Tai," Guayun Mountain features steep cliffs and rugged rocks. From the summit, the vast North China Plain stretches out to the east, while the majestic peaks of the Taihang Mountains loom to the west. Watch the sunrise in the morning, admire the sea of clouds at noon, and enjoy the colorful sunset in the evening. The mountaintop is home to the Temple of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, the Lianxin Bridge, the Martyrs' Sacrificial Platform, and the Martyrs' Memorial...
Introduction to Jingxing: Known as the "junction of nine passes," this region has long held strategic control over the Yan and Qin territories, earning the title of a "Great Wall Museum." The most famous and best-preserved sections are from the Ming Dynasty. During the Liao Dynasty, Jingxing became part of the “inner frontier to the right of the capital,” with the Jingxing Pass (also known as Guguan or Nanguan) alongside Longquan Pass in Fuping County, Daoma Pass in Tang County, and Zijing Pass in Yixian County, all serving as vital chokepoints for the capital’s defense. In the Ming Dynasty, these four key passes were interconnected, with over 100 kilometers of the Great Wall located within Jingxing.
Guide The main facade is a five-story pavilion-style building, featuring an underground exhibition hall. Inside the palace, over 40 ever-changing scenes are set up based on stories from the classic Chinese novel "Investiture of the Gods," including King Zhou's incense offering at the Goddess Nuwa Temple, the appearance of the three demons from Xuanyuan Tomb, the Nine-Twist Yellow River Formation, and Jiang Ziya enfeoffing the gods. With more than 500 vividly crafted character statues...
Guide The Fenglong Academy was a renowned institution as early as the Han Dynasty. Throughout successive dynasties, eminent scholars resided and taught here. Unlike other academies, Fenglong Academy not only focused on the study of classical literature but also made significant achievements in the field of natural sciences. In the 13th century, Li Ye founded the theory of semi-symbolic algebra at Fenglong Academy, which was the most advanced mathematical achievement in solving higher-degree equations in the world at that time, predating the emergence of European algebra by at least 300 years.
Introduction The Verdant Ravine Spirit Sandalwoods face the main gate of Cangyan Mountain. Nestled within the crevices of the cliffs, ancient cypresses and sandalwood trees stand upright, lean sideways, grow horizontally, or hang upside down—each in a strikingly unique posture, creating a truly magnificent sight. The trees also bear distinctive names: the Guest-Greeting Sandalwood, Deer-Skin Sandalwood, Dragon-Hand Sandalwood, Arhat Sandalwood, Fairy Sandalwood, Giant Sandalwood, and many more.
Berlin Chan Temple is located at the southeastern corner of Zhao County (formerly known as Zhaozhou), Hebei Province, overlooking the world-famous Zhaozhou Bridge from afar. It was first built during the Jian’an era (196–220) of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty and was originally called Guanyin Temple. During the Southern Song Dynasty, it was known as Yong’an Temple; in the Jin Dynasty, it was named Berlin Chan Monastery, and from the Yuan Dynasty onward, it has been called Berlin Chan Temple. Throughout the long course of history...
Tiantai Temple is located about one li from Qingliu Village in Gaocheng City, Hebei Province, on the south side of National Highway 307. The temple was founded during the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, over 1,400 years ago. At that time, the Fourth Patriarch of the Tiantai Sect, Master Zhang’an Guanding, preached the "Lotus Sutra of the Great Vehicle" here, demonstrating unmatched eloquence. According to legend, celestial flowers rained down and the earth shook with awe-inspiring momentum — “a precious platform emerged from the ground, shaped like a lotus.” Later, Tiantai Temple was built atop this lotus-shaped platform, which rose over four zhang (approximately 13 meters) high. It once served as the only site in northern China promoting the Tiantai Buddhist sect. Due to the frequent fog on the Central Hebei Plain and the temple’s location on a high cliff, it often remained shrouded in mist, visible only when the clouds cleared. Hence, the royal court bestowed upon it the character “霁” (meaning “clear after rain”) and named it “Tiantai Jisi” (Tiantai Clearing Temple). The “Tiantai Clear Moon” was once a renowned local spectacle, inspiring many historical figures to compose poems about the temple. The temple complex includes a Mahavira Hall, Guanyin Hall, Maitreya Hall, Ksitigarbha Hall, bell and drum towers, an abbot’s quarters, a chanting hall, and a dharma hall. It was home to hundreds of resident monks, flourished with incense offerings, and was world-renowned for its grand scale. Inside Tiantai Temple, there are still preserved statues from the Tang Dynasty, including a precious dragon turtle, the Eighteen Arhats, the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and the Maitreya Buddha. The site also houses numerous cultural relics and historic sites both within and around the temple, renowned far and wide.
Ping’an Temple is located at Fengshui’ao, the junction between Dashacun Village in Shuizhai Town, Wuhua County, Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, and Lianxincun Village in Diaofang Town, Xingning City. Originally built during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, it has a history of over 500 years, boasts a long-standing heritage and widespread renown. Nestled among surrounding mountains, the site gathers spiritual energy and symbolizes good fortune, making it an auspicious feng shui location. The Buddha and Bodhisattvas here are believed to be incredibly responsive, attracting a continuous stream of devotees from all directions...
The Ancient City Wall Ruins Park of Zhao County is the only park in Shijiazhuang dedicated to the preservation of ancient city walls. Covering an area of 140 acres, the park makes full use of the remaining sections of the ancient city wall and moat, and is designed around two of the “Ten Scenic Spots of Ancient Zhaozhou”: “Ripening Rice in the Southern Fields” and “Autumn Colors on Mount Lan.” The construction emphasizes cultural content and leisure, achieving a genuine integration of heritage protection and recreational use.
The Shijing Temple Stone Pagoda is located within Shijing Temple in Jiaying Temple Village, Zanhuang County, Hebei Province in northern China. It is a stone pagoda built during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD). The pagoda was originally constructed in the eighth year of the Tianbao era of the Tang Dynasty (749 AD), and the temple was renovated in the second year of the Zhili era of the Song Dynasty (1065 AD), when Jiaying Temple was renamed...
The Tuoliang Mountain Nature Scenic Area is located in the northwest of Pingshan County, 150 kilometers from Shijiazhuang City, covering a total area of 220,000 square kilometers. Its main peak, situated at the junction of Pingshan, Fuping, and Wutai County in Shanxi Province, stands at an elevation of 2,281 meters, making it one of the five highest peaks in Hebei Province. Tuoliang Mountain boasts verdant hillsides and cascading waterfalls, with its dense primeval forests and...
Huata Pagoda of Guanghui Temple, also known as the Pagoda of Many Treasures, is located on a high terrace east of Shengmin Street within the former site of Guanghui Temple in Zhengding County, Hebei Province. In 1961, it was designated by the State Council as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level. The Huata consists of a main pagoda and several smaller attached pagodas, all built entirely of brick. The first level of the main pagoda features six small hexagonal pavilion-style towers at each corner, surrounding the main structure...
The Former Site of Changshan Commandery is located in Yincun Town, Yuanshi County, Hebei Province. During the reign of Empress Lü in the early Han Dynasty (187–180 BCE), Changshan Kingdom was established with its capital at Yuanshi. The kingdom was abolished in 180 BCE. In 145 BCE, Emperor Jing of Han quelled the Rebellion of the Seven States and divided Zhao Kingdom into six parts, enfeoffing his son Liu Shun as the King of Changshan Xian, who ruled one of the divisions. By the third year of Yuanding during Emperor Wu of Han’s reign (114 BCE), King Shun passed away, and shortly after his son Liu Bo ascended the throne, the kingdom was abolished and restructured as Changshan Commandery. Today, only ruins remain of the Han Dynasty’s Changshan Commandery (Kingdom). Not far to the northwest, two large ancient tombs were discovered in 1991, one of which has been excavated, yielding over a thousand fragments of artifacts including silver, copper, iron, lacquerware, and pottery, with some copper items inscribed with the characters “Changshan.”
The Water Park is located east of Youyi North Street and south of Lianmeng Road, covering an area of 38 hectares. It was designed by the Beijing Design Branch of China Overseas Landscape Architecture Construction Corporation, commenced construction in May 1997, completed on September 30, 1998, and opened to the public on October 1, 1998. The suburban government of Shijiazhuang City was fully responsible for…
On either side of the Grand Mercy Pavilion stand two tall and magnificent stone turtle-mounted steles. The one on the west is the Imperial Gift Stone Tablet Pavilion of Emperor Qianlong (Hongli), while the one on the east is the Imperial Gift Stone Tablet Pavilion of Emperor Kangxi (Xuanye). The pavilions feature yellow glazed tile roofs and double-eaved hip-and-gable roofs. The Qianlong Pavilion was erected when Emperor Hongli visited... in the 45th year of his reign (1780 AD)...
The Longzang Temple Stele is located southeast of the Dabei Pavilion in Zhengding’s Great Buddha Temple. The stele stands 2.2 meters tall and is 0.9 meters wide, featuring 30 lines of text with 50 characters per line. It holds extremely important reference value for the study of calligraphic art and the evolution of script styles from Han clerical script to Tang regular script. According to the Ji Fu Tong Zhi (Records of the Capital Region), the Longzang Temple Stele was erected in the sixth year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty (c…
The Dabei Pavilion is the main structure of the temple, featuring five eaves and three stories, standing 33 meters tall. Originally built during the Kaibao era of the Northern Song Dynasty, it was once connected to the Imperial Book Tower and Jiqing Pavilion on the east and west sides. In the early years of the Republic of China, the roof collapsed. During the 1944 renovation, the side pavilions were demolished, leaving it standing alone like an ethereal presence. Leaning on the railing and looking down, one feels a sense of openness in vision and chest, a refreshing and uplifting feeling, as if gazing upon something both awe-inspiring and humbling.
The Revolving Scripture Pavilion, located to the right of the Great Compassion Pavilion and facing east, shares the same floor plan and exterior appearance as the Maitreya Pavilion. Built during the Northern Song Dynasty, it is a two-story pavilion with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. Its architectural techniques retain prominent features of the Song Dynasty. It has undergone various degrees of renovation in different dynasties. In 1956, the State Council allocated funds for a complete dismantling and reconstruction, during which the eaves added during the Ming Dynasty renovation were removed...
Zhengding Great Buddha Temple not only holds an important place in the history of Chinese Buddhism, but more importantly, the cultural relics preserved within the temple possess significant historical value. It is known as the "Nine Wonders of the Great Buddha Temple." Cishi Pavilion is one of these nine wonders. It is located to the east of the Great Mercy Pavilion, facing west and opposite the Revolving Scripture Repository. The pavilion is three bays wide and three bays deep, and is a two-story building from the Northern Song Dynasty...