Zhengding County

Zhengding County 正定县
County
The Manichaean Hall of the Longxing Monastery
Zhengding County Location in Hebei Show map of Hebei Zhengding County Zhengding County (Shijiazhuang) Show map of Shijiazhuang
Coordinates (County): 38°08′46″N 114°34′16″E / 38.146°N 114.571°E / 38.146; 114.571
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Hebei
Prefecture-level city	Shijiazhuang
Area
• Total	468 km2 (181 sq mi)
Population
• Total	594,000
• Density	1,300/km2 (3,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard)
Website	www.zd.gov.cn

Zhengding (Chinese: 正定县), originally Zhending (Chinese: 真定縣),^[1] is a county in southwestern Hebei Province, North China, located approximately 260 km (160 mi) south of Beijing, capital of China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Shijiazhuang, the capital of the province, 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 Chan 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.