Zhengding Ancient City 2-Day Itinerary Guide, a must-see for retracing the path of Liang and Lin

Although I've always felt that Guoji Zhuang is a tourism desert, in fact, you just need to move north of the Hutuo River to Zhengding, and that's where the treasure truly unfolds. I first learned about Zhengding from the field trip of Liang and Lin when they were building the Xueshe, and it was then I discovered the Longxing Temple with its unique Northern Song Dynasty cross-shaped architectural layout and the Mani Hall, as well as the 'blue brick and wood' Four Pagodas. This time I arranged a day and a half in Zhengding, basically got to see most of the ancient relics, checked off all 10 national protected sites, and personally feel that each cultural preservation site in Zhengding is very worthwhile. Not only are they of high historical value, but they are also very interesting to see. However, the ancient city of Zhengding is somewhat lacking, with almost no well-preserved residences, only some imitation ancient buildings on the main street, and calling it an ancient city seems a bit of a stretch. 🚸About the itinerary DAY1: Tang Dynasty Qinghe County King's Merit Stele→Longxing Temple→Tianning Temple Lingxiao Pagoda→Yuanqu Museum→Kaiyuan Temple Sumi Pagoda and Bell Tower→Zhengding Liang Family Ancestral Hall→Yanghe Tower→Linji Temple Chengling Pagoda→Guanghui Temple Flower Pagoda→Zhengding City Wall (South Gate) DAY2: Zhengding Confucian Temple Dacheng Hall→Zhengding Prefecture Confucian Temple→Zhengding City Wall (North Gate Ruins)→Zhao Yun Temple→Zhengding City God Temple 🚗About transportation The best way to tour Zhengding is by Citywalk, with most attractions being about a 10-minute walk from each other. However, some spots are indeed a bit far, such as the city wall ruins on the north side of Zhengding and Zhao Yun Temple, since there are no shared bicycles in Zhengding, so these farther attractions can only be reached by taxi, which is slightly inconvenient, but it's just a starting fare. 🏡About the attractions ✅Longxing Temple: As the foremost ancient temple outside the capital, it is definitely the C position of Zhengding. The Mani Hall from the Song Dynasty, the sitting Guanyin praised by Lu Xun as the beauty goddess of the East, the Song Dynasty's revolving sutra repository, China's tallest bronze cast Thousand-Handed Guanyin... really, any one of these, if placed in another province, would be of national protected status. ✅Kaiyuan Temple: The most interesting of Zhengding's four ancient pagodas, including the Tang Sumi Pagoda + half of a Tang wooden bell tower + a huge Pixiu. ✅Guanghui Temple Flower Pagoda: A unique Song Dynasty pagoda of national first-class status, shaped like a bouquet of flowers, even Liang Sicheng was amazed, and it is also the most internet-famous of the four pagodas in Zhengding. ✅Linji Temple Chengling Pagoda: An octagonal solid brick pagoda rebuilt in the Jin Dynasty, Linji Temple is also the birthplace of the Linji school, which had a great influence on Japan and Korea. ✅Lingxiao Pagoda: A combination of the Song and Jin Dynasties, the wooden pillar that reaches the top of the pagoda is the prototype for the Tower of Babel in the movie 'Detective Dee'. The Yuan Dynasty stone lions at the entrance are quite special. ✅Zhengding County Confucian Temple: Dated by Liang Sicheng to the Five Dynasties period, it is the oldest existing Confucian temple in China. ✅Zhengding Prefecture Confucian Temple: No longer complete, only the Yuan Dynasty Halberd Gate is still worth a look. ✅Tang Dynasty Qinghe County King's Merit Stele: A towering Tang stele, witnessing the history of the He-Shuo military governor's separatist rule. ✅Liang Family Ancestral Hall: A national protected site that has stood tall since the Five Dynasties. ✅Zhengding Ancient City Wall: The southern city wall has been more completely restored, and you can overlook the four ancient pagodas of Zhengding, with especially picturesque views at dusk and night; the northern city wall is mainly ruins, and can be skipped if time is short. ✅Zhao Yun Temple: Apart from a few steles, it is almost all newly built, Three Kingdoms enthusiasts might take a quick look. ✅Zhengding City God Temple: A high imitation rebuilt on the original site in 2019, can be skipped if time is short.