Dingzhou Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
The Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
Spring Outing Memoir | Hebei Dingzhou Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda The ancient pagodas of China
| Hebei Dingzhou Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda The ancient pagodas of China. The Dingzhou Pagoda, located in Dingzhou City, is adjacent to the Dingzhou Museum. During the Song Dynasty, it was used for defense against the Khitan by utilizing the pagoda to observe enemy movements, also known as the 'Enemy-Watching Pagoda'. Since the pagoda was built within the Kaiyuan Temple, it is commonly referred to as the 'Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda'. It was initially constructed in the fourth year of Xianping during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty (1001), when Emperor Zhenzong decreed the building of the temple and the pagoda to enshrine the Buddhist scriptures and relics brought back from ancient India by monks of the Kaiyuan Temple. It was completed in the second year of Zhihe during the Northern Song Dynasty (1055), taking over fifty years to build.
The Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda stands 83.7 meters tall, with an octagonal pavilion-style architecture, dignified and imposing in appearance. The pagoda has eleven levels, each proportionally tapering from bottom to top. The structure of the pagoda consists of an outer shell encircling an inner core, with stairs spiraling up through the core to reach the levels of the pagoda. Inside, a large number of Song Dynasty murals and artworks are preserved.
After experiencing more than ten earthquakes, lightning strikes, and other natural disasters, it still stands firm to this day, a marvel of ancient architecture. It is also the tallest ancient brick pagoda still existing in our country.
It was restored in 1988. What is seen today is the pagoda after restoration. Sixty climbing spots are open to the public every day. The Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda at night is even more splendid under the illumination of lights.
🎫Ticket: 10 yuan, 30 yuan for climbing the pagoda.
📍Address: Inside Kaiyuan Temple, east side of the South City Gate, Dingzhou City, Hebei Province
Visited Dingzhou Citywalk·The First Stop·Dingzhou Kaifeng Pagoda last year with my parents
Considering their knees, I didn't take them up. This second visit was to see the inside. All the statues inside the pagoda are gone, many inscriptions have been stolen, and the faces of the figures in the murals have been damaged...
Okay, let's talk about something happy. Aside from the modern scribbles on the walls (what? you call this happy?! :P~), there are also many inscriptions by literati and poets, some of which have been protected by the management with glass covers. During the climb, I encountered several groups of tourists. It's common to see young boys interested in photographing ancient relics, but surprisingly, a few young girls were also carefully appreciating the murals and inscriptions with their cameras...
In the southwest corner of the courtyard, there is an inverted 'Monument to the Construction of a New Order in East Asia,' a solid proof of the Japanese invasion back in the day.
Entrance is 10 yuan, and climbing the pagoda is 30 (since it's Citywalk, I guess all tickets are full price^_^).
China's number one tower! Dingzhou Kaiyuan Temple Tower!
This tower, known as the number one tower in China -- Dingzhou Kaiyuan Temple Tower, was originally called the Enemy Tower, which was built during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty. Dingzhou in the Northern Song Dynasty was located between the Liao and Jin countries and was a military stronghold. It was built to prevent the invasion of the Liao and Jin countries and took more than 50 years to complete. Since the tower was built inside the Kaiyuan Temple, it was later called the Kaiyuan Temple Tower.
The tower is 11 stories high and 83.7 meters tall. The plane is octagonal, and the tower structure is a brick-wood mixed structure. 'Cut all the Quyang wood and build the Enemy Tower.' It can be seen that the manpower and material resources spent on building this tower at that time can be imagined.
China's Buddhist pagodas are all odd-numbered, and it was later learned that odd numbers are auspicious numbers in Buddhism. Generally five, seven, eleven, thirteen stories. At present, the Kaiyuan Temple Tower is only open to the seventh floor. As the height increases, the tower body gradually shrinks, and the stairs gradually ease. When I reached the seventh floor, I was panting. Each floor of the tower has connected corridors, four main doors, and four windows. You can see the street scenery and the situation of nearby houses.
Dingzhou Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda
Dingzhou Liaodi Pagoda, commonly known as 'Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda', is located inside Kaiyuan Temple on the east side of the South City Gate in Dingzhou City, Hebei Province. In the fourth year of Xianping of the Northern Song Dynasty (1001), Emperor Zhenzong of Song ordered the construction of the temple and pagoda to enshrine the Buddhist scriptures and relics brought back from ancient India by Monk Lingneng. The construction was completed in the second year of Zhihe of the Northern Song Dynasty (1055), taking 55 years. As Dingzhou was a military stronghold close to both the Liao and Song dynasties, the Song Dynasty used this pagoda to observe enemy movements, hence the name 'Liaodi Pagoda' (or 'Observation Tower').
The Dingzhou Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda is an octagonal tower building and is one of the tallest ancient brick towers in China. The tower is dignified and majestic, with eleven levels, each level shrinking in proportion from bottom to top. The internal structure of the tower is that the outer tower body surrounds the inner tower body, and the stairs spiral up from the heart of the inner tower body to the top of the tower. The tower body is connected from the inside to the outside, forming a unique structure of a tower within a tower.
The Dingzhou Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda is a Buddhist pagoda that integrates architectural art, Buddhist culture, and calligraphy and painting art, and occupies an important position in the history of ancient Chinese architecture.
Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda
Dingzhou Museum Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
Touring Dingzhou, Learning about Zhongshan
During the May Day holiday, take a 'City Walk' with the kids for a one-day tour of Dingzhou. Dingzhou was anciently known as Gu, also called Zhongshan Prefecture. In 414 BC, the state of Zhongshan moved its capital to Gu, marking the first time Dingzhou became the capital of a kingdom. In 408 BC, the state of Wei conquered Zhongshan, and Gu came under the jurisdiction of Wei. In 380 BC, Duke Huan of Zhongshan defeated Wei and successfully restored the state, bringing Gu back into the hands of Zhongshan. Not long after, Zhongshan moved its capital from Gu to Lingshou City (now Lingshou County, Shijiazhuang). Over nearly a hundred years, the ancient capital of Zhongshan changed to Lingshou.
By 154 BC, Dingzhou was known as Lunu, and it was the capital of the Zhongshan state during the Han Dynasty. Emperor Jing of Han (grandson of Liu Bang) appointed his ninth son, Liu Sheng, as the king of Zhongshan, with the capital at Lunu (today's Dingzhou City), governing 14 counties: Lunu, Beiping County (now Mancheng County, Baoding), Beixincheng (now Xushui County, Baoding), Tang County, Shenzhe, Kujiao (now Xingyi Town, Xingyi Village, Dingzhou), Anguo, Quni, Wangdu, Xinshi, Xinchu (now Daxinzhuang Town, Dingzhou), Wuji (now Wuji County, Shijiazhuang), Licheng (now Li County, Baoding), and Anxian (now Gucheng Village, Dingzhou).
Visit the Dingzhou Museum to learn about the history of the Zhongshan state.
Dingzhou Museum
Dingzhou City Museum is located on the south side of Zhongshan East Road, Dingzhou City, Hebei Province, adjacent to the four major key cultural relics protection units: Kaiyuan Temple Tower, Gongyuan, Confucius Temple, and Yan Yangchu's former residence. Dingzhou City Museum was established in November 1959, and the new museum was opened to the public on August 28, 2018, covering an area of about 36,700 square meters, with a total construction area of 25,600 square meters.
The exhibition area of Dingzhou City Museum is 7,000 square meters, with 31,216 cultural relics in its collection, including 965 precious cultural relics, including pottery, porcelain, jade, stone, gold, silver, copper, bone, wood, etc., mainly from the Han and Song dynasties, and the collections have local characteristics and era features.
Dingzhou·Baoding
Worth coming for him alone | Dingzhou Museum
| Dingzhou Museum. A national second-level museum, Dingzhou City Museum has an exhibition area of 7000 square meters, with 31,216 cultural relics in its collection, including 965 precious cultural relics, mainly from the Han and Song dynasties, and the collection has local characteristics and era features.
Basic display
"Han Family Mausoleum"
"Northern Dynasty Buddha"
"The Great White of the World"
"Thousand Years Outside the Dust"
"Hometown Starry Sky"
"Golden Emerald Pearl"
🔥Three national treasures of Dingzhou Museum
1⃣️Green jade dragon chi ring bi
2⃣️The story jade seat screen of Dongwang and Xiwang (now borrowed by Nanjing Museum)
3⃣️White glazed dragon head lotus pattern large purification bottle
Browsing time: about 3 hours
Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 (stop admission at 16:30) Closed on Monday
Dingzhou Ancient City Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
Located at the throat of the nine provinces, the strategic area of the capital! Capital of Zhongshan State Dingzhou·Hebei
After leaving the capital and heading southwest for about 200 kilometers, you can reach the ancient city of Dingzhou. This place was once the capital of the Zhongshan State during the Warring States period over 2000 years ago, later destroyed by the State of Zhao. Dingzhou is renowned for its long history and splendid culture. Since the Shang and Zhou dynasties, Dingzhou has always been a political, economic, military, and cultural center in the north, leaving behind a rich cultural heritage.
The main attractions of the ancient city include: Kaiyuan Temple, the Tribute Academy, the Ancient Prefecture Office, the Temple of Literature, the Museum, Kaiyuan Street, Song Street, and Chongwen Street, etc. Among them, the pagoda of Kaiyuan Temple, built during the Northern Song Dynasty, stands at 83.7 meters tall and is the highest existing brick pagoda in China, known as the 'Number One Pagoda in China'.
Warm tips: The attractions in Dingzhou are not far from each other. You can dine on Chongwen Street and stay on Song Street. The hotels here also offer free Hanfu photography, which is very people-friendly!
One Day Tour in Dingzhou | Deep Experience of Zhongshan's Ancient Charm
Deep Experience of Zhongshan's Ancient Charm. A complete guide to a one-day tour in Dingzhou, Hebei | Encounter the charm of the ancient capital of Zhongshan|||Dingzhou, Hebei, a city with a civilization history of over 5,000 years, where Qi's chancellor Guan Zhong built a city during the Spring and Autumn period, and where the state of Zhongshan during the Warring States period, Han Zhongshan, and Later Yan all established their capitals. With a long history and profound cultural heritage, those who love ancient architecture and history must visit Dingzhou.
🌟One Day Itinerary
Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda➡️Dingzhou Museum➡️Dingzhou Gongyuan➡️Chongwen Street➡️Dingzhou Confucian Temple➡️Beizhuangzi Han Tomb Stone Carvings➡️South City Gate
1️⃣Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda
Also known as the Liao Di Pagoda, it is an octagonal pavilion-style tower, 83.7 meters high with 11 stories. Inside the tower, there are Song Dynasty murals and brick carvings of dougong, making it a Buddhist pagoda that integrates architectural art, Buddhist culture, and calligraphy and painting. It holds an important place in the history of ancient Chinese architecture.
🎫Ticket price 10r, tower climbing 30r, business hours 8:30-17:30.
🔹tips: If you want to climb the tower, be sure to queue up at the entrance at 8:30. Only 60 tickets for tower climbing are sold each day (including 30 full-price tickets and 30 half-price tickets).
2️⃣Dingzhou Museum
A must-visit treasure museum to understand the ancient capital of Zhongshan, with more than 50,000 cultural relics in its collection, including 3 national treasures, 107 first-grade relics, 214 second-grade relics, and 644 third-grade relics. Don't miss the three national treasures: the green jade dragon chi-holding grain-patterned bi, the pierced carving of fairy tales jade screen, and the Ding kiln white glazed carved dragon-head vase.
🎫Free admission, reservation required, business hours 9:00-17:00, be sure to visit during the reserved time slot.
3️⃣Dingzhou Gongyuan
Also known as the examination hall, it is one of the most well-preserved ancient sites for selecting scholars and tribute students in the north. You can see the ancient examination hall as well as exam papers, cheat sheets, etc., which are very interesting.
🎫Ticket price 20r, business hours 8:30-17:30.
4️⃣Chongwen Street
A commercial snack street with Ming and Qing architectural styles and market-style atmosphere, where you can experience the authentic folk culture.
5️⃣Dingzhou Confucian Temple
Also known as the Temple of Confucius, it is a place for worshipping Confucius and has maintained the architectural pattern since the Ming Dynasty. It is the most well-preserved and largest Confucian temple in Hebei Province. Inside the courtyard, there are two locust trees planted by Su Shi when he was the governor of Dingzhou.
🎫Ticket price 10r, business hours 9:00-16:30.
6️⃣Beizhuangzi Han Tomb Stone Carvings
The tomb of Liu Yan, the King of Zhongshan during the Eastern Han Dynasty, which has a history of more than two thousand years. Inside, you can visit some of the cultural relics and stone carvings unearthed from the Han tomb, and you can go down to visit the underground palace.
🎫Ticket price 5r, business hours 9:00-16:30.
7️⃣South City Gate
Also known as 'Ying Tai Gate,' built in the early Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, it has a history of more than 600 years.
🟠The above locations, except for the Beizhuangzi Han Tomb Stone Carvings and the South City Gate, which are a bit further away (about a kilometer away from the other places), are all located in the core area of the ancient city of Dingzhou and can be visited on foot.
🌟Food Recommendations
Donkey meat sandwich, Dingzhou braised dishes, beef covered cake, Dingzhou grilled cake, Eight Great Bowls, Dalong ice cream.
2023 National Day Tour Part One (Dingzhou Edition)
Preface: Regarding the matter of going out during the National Day, because there are too many reports about overcrowding in major scenic spots and poor travel experiences, I have a cautious attitude towards National Day travel. However, I feel that it's a rare long holiday, and it would be a waste not to go out when the highway is free 😄. We can avoid the crowded famous scenic spots and look for less popular ones, right?
After some thought, I decided to make Dingzhou the first stop. Why Dingzhou? Because Dingzhou is close, only 70 kilometers from Shijiazhuang. Of course, the main reason is that Dingzhou has a long history, it was once the capital of the ancient Zhongshan State and the fief of Zhongshan Jing Wang Liu Sheng (who Liu Bei claimed to be after him) during the Western Han Dynasty. He established his capital in Lunu, which is today's Dingzhou. The most famous in Dingzhou City are the Dingzhou Tower and the Gongyuan. The Dingzhou Tower was built during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, serving both Buddhist and military functions, so it is also known as the 'Enemy Tower' (because Dingzhou City was the frontline between the Northern Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty during the Northern Song Dynasty, and one could understand the enemy situation from the tower). Dingzhou Gongyuan is a well-preserved place for selecting talents and tribute students in the north, established during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, with a history of nearly 300 years, and is a national key cultural relics protection unit.
In addition to visiting these two places, I also visited the Dingzhou Museum, which is quite good, definitely one of the better museums at the county level. In addition, Dingzhou's Ding porcelain was very famous in history, one of the five official kilns of the Song Dynasty, but unfortunately, after the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty and the occupation by the Jin Dynasty, Ding porcelain gradually declined.
In general, although Dingzhou is not a hot tourist spot, it is still worth a visit. Finally, I have to complain: the Dingzhou Tower and the Museum are on the south side of the road, and the Gongyuan is on the north side. The distance is very close, but the road is divided by a median strip. If you want to go to the other two spots after visiting the Gongyuan, you have to walk a long way (several hundred meters) to the traffic light to cross, which is very unfriendly to tourists, especially the elderly and children. Can't they leave an exit in the middle of the median strip? Is it too much to say that this is laziness? Friends from Dingzhou can comment. Trip
Dingzhou Confucian Temple Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
Dingzhou Citywalk·The Fifth Station·Dingzhou Confucian Temple
You can shoot... arrows inside the Dingzhou Confucian Temple ~
After leaving the Gongyuan, I was so thirsty that I bought a cup of 'Poor Ghost Coffee' at the antique-style pedestrian street and gulped it down. A few hundred meters further west, I arrived at the Dingzhou Confucian Temple.
Inside, there are two rather novel attractions.
One is the 'Falling Star Stone,' which is a meteorite. According to the Qing Dynasty 'Annals of Dingzhou,' about two li west of the state capital, on the left side of the road, there is a stone lying obliquely, three to four feet in length and one foot seven inches thick. Its quality is pure and hard, and its color is reddish-yellow like unpolished jade. It is said that a star fell here and turned into a stone, hence the common name 'Falling Star Stone.' However... this stone doesn't quite look like the meteorites I've seen in science articles... ^_^
The second is the 'Su Dongpo Twin Pagoda Trees.' Su Dongpo, a gourmet of the Northern Song Dynasty, served as the governor of Dingzhou from 1093 to 1094. According to the Qing Dynasty 'Annals of Dingzhou,' Su Dongpo planted two pagoda trees when he came to the Confucian Temple to worship Confucius. The eastern one is like a dancing phoenix, and the western one is like a divine dragon, which later generations praised as the 'Dragon and Phoenix Twin Pagoda Trees.' To this day, they are lush and thriving (they had not yet sprouted in early March ^_^). There is also an interesting group of 'Pagoda Trees Embracing a Chinese Toon' nearby.
In the eastern courtyard, you can spend some money to practice 'shooting,' one of the 'Six Arts.'
Admission is 10 yuan.
Pass it on! People in Wenjiang, Chengdu are having a barbecue in the air-raid shelter behind our backs!!
Such a comfortable place! Wenjiang, you're not promoting it?! Foolish... It's so big inside, it's a great place to stroll around! I even got lost😂!!
This environment, it's not appropriate if you don't get a skewer! Meat skewers are 4r, vegetable skewers are 1r, the prices are touching!! I've found the gathering place for Wenjiang people😎 Next to it is the Confucius Temple, it can be arranged on the weekend~
Dingzhou Test Hall Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
Hebei Dingzhou Citywalk·The Fourth Station·The Soaring Dingzhou Gongyuan
After coming out of Mr. Yan Yangchu's former residence, continue north for more than two hundred meters across Zhongshan East Road, and you will reach Dingzhou Gongyuan.
There is a sculpture at the entrance of the main gate, named 'Subway Security Check' (just kidding ^_^). To be serious: It is said that Emperor Qianlong visited the south of the Yangtze River six times, and passed through Dingzhou five times, during which he visited the Gongyuan to comfort the examinees. The emperor himself even planted two locust trees to commemorate the event.
Moreover, the most worthy sight in the garden is the main building of the Gongyuan - the Kui Ge Hao She. With a half four-cornered spire structure, the building has four layers of eaves, and the whole appearance is arranged in a '品' shape, resembling wild geese spreading their wings to fly high, symbolizing the difficulties of a career path for all scholars (huh?). The entire building is majestic and spectacular, with a unique design that showcases the distinctive architectural style and superb design skills of the Qing Dynasty.
Admission is 20 yuan.
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