Longxing Temple in Zhengding, Hebei (Sui Dynasty, National Protection Level 1)

Longxing Temple is one of the earliest, largest, and best-preserved Buddhist temples in China. It is located on Dongmenli Street, Zhengding County, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, also known as "Zhengding Great Buddha Temple." It was listed as one of the first national key cultural relics protection units in 1961. The site of Longxing Temple was originally the Longteng Garden of Murong Xi (385-407 AD), Emperor Zhaowen of Later Yan. In the sixth year of the Kaihuang era of Emperor Wen of Sui (586 AD), a temple was built within the garden, initially named Longcang Temple, and renamed Longxing Temple during the Tang Dynasty. In the fourth year of the Kaibao era of the Northern Song Dynasty (971 AD), by the order of Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, the temple was expanded, the Great Compassion Pavilion was built, and a 21.3-meter-tall (seven zhang and three chi) bronze statue of the Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva was cast. Subsequently, the Jin, Yuan, and Ming dynasties all carried out repairs and expansions of the temple. During the Kangxi and Qianlong reigns of the Qing Dynasty, the temple was twice ordered to be rebuilt, and in the 49th year of Kangxi (1710), it was granted the plaque "Longxing Temple." Currently, Longxing Temple covers an area of 82,500 square meters, with a layout and architecture preserving the Song Dynasty style. Inside the mountain gate is a rectangular courtyard, with the bell tower and drum tower on the left and right. The Great Awakening Six Masters Hall in the middle has been destroyed, but its site remains; to the north is the Mani Hall, flanked by side halls, forming a long courtyard; further north, inside the second gate, are the main buildings: the Great Compassion Pavilion and the Cishi Pavilion and Wheel-Turning Treasury Pavilion on the front sides, along with other secondary buildings such as towers, pavilions, halls, and kiosks, creating a magnificent spatial composition that is the climax of the entire complex; finally, the Amitabha Hall is located at the rear of the temple; among them, the Buddha Incense Pavilion and Amitabha Hall are arranged in three parallel halls. The entire temple complex is arranged along a north-south central axis, with a deep layout from outside to inside, overlapping halls, changing courtyards, staggered heights, and clear hierarchy; the southern entrance features a glazed screen wall, and to the north are the archway, precepts altar, two imperial stele pavilions from the Kangxi and Qianlong reigns, the Imperial Calligraphy Building, Jiqing Pavilion, and at the end, the Pilu Hall relocated in 1959 from Chongyin Temple inside Zhengding City, built by Ming Emperor Shenzong to celebrate the birthday of his mother, Empress Dowager Cisheng. The Mani Hall was built in the fourth year of the Huangyou era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1052 AD). The hall’s foundation is nearly square, with a central protruding bay on each of the four sides; the hall body is surrounded by thick walls, with doors and windows only on the front of the protruding bays; the exterior is distinctive, with a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, and the protruding bays also have hip-and-gable roofs facing forward, similar to surviving Song Dynasty paintings. The Great Compassion Pavilion currently stands about 33 meters tall, with three stories and a hip-and-gable roof. The upper two floors have double eaves and flat platforms. It was rebuilt around 1940. Inside the pavilion is the Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara statue, 24 meters tall, cast at the same time the pavilion was built in the fourth year of the Kaibao era of the Northern Song Dynasty (971 AD). It is the largest ancient bronze statue in China. Although the hands are damaged, the statue’s proportions are balanced and the drapery flows smoothly. There are six cultural relics in the temple that attract the most attention: • Longcang Temple Stele • Mani Hall • Inverted Avalokitesvara • Wheel-Turning Treasury • Large Bronze Buddha • Bronze Pilu Buddha