Zhengding County

Zhengding County

Zhengding (Chinese: 正定; pinyin: Zhèngdìng) is a county of southwestern Hebei province, China, located approximately 260 km (160 mi) south of Beijing. It comes under the administration and is located just to the north of the urban core of Shijiazhuang and has a population of 594,000. Zhengding has been an important religious center for more than 1,000 years, from - at least - the times of the Sui Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. It is the founding place of several major schools of Zen Buddhism, however, many former religious building complexes have been severely damaged throughout history. A noted temple is the Longxing Monastery, where the historical building ensemble has been preserved almost intact. Furthermore, four famous pagodas, each with its own architectural style, are still standing.