Zhengding, Hebei Province, China

🇨🇳 Zhengding, originally Zhending, is a county in south-western Hebei Province, North China, located approximately 260 km south of Beijing. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Shijiazhuang, the capital of the province. Zhengding has been an important religious centre 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.

History Archeological finds indicate that the area of Zhengding County has been settled since the early Neolithic Period. During the Spring and Autumn period, the capital of the Xianyu Kingdom was located in the area. Under the Han dynasty, the county was the site of Dongyuan, where the emperor Liu Bang led a siege during Chen Xi's rebellion in the early 190s BC. In the year 256 (Western Jin dynasty), the Changshan Prefecture was established in the county. In 923, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the prefecture was renamed Zhengding Prefecture, which was later rearranged into the Zhengding Prefecture and Zhongshan County. Zhengding County was created during the Qing Dynasty, in 1723. In 1949, the county was subordinated to Shijiazhuang Prefecture and in 1986, it came under the jurisdiction of the City of Shijiazhuang.

President of China and General Secretary of CPC Xi Jinping was in charge of Secretary of the county Party Committee between 1983 and 1985. As a princeling, son of Xi Zhongxun, he was assigned to this rural area on his own request. He is credited with having a Qing dynasty style mansion constructed in the area for the filming of Dream of Red Mansions.

Geography Zhengding County ranges from 57.6 to 105.2 metres (189 to 345 ft) in elevation.

Administrative Divisions As of 2020, Zhengding County administers 2 subdistricts, 4 towns and 3 townships, which in turn control 174 villages and 186 natural villages.

Subdistrict: • Zhufutun (诸福屯街道), Sanlitun (三里屯街道)

Towns: • Zhengding Town (正定镇), Xin'an (新安镇), Xinchengpu (新城铺镇), Nangang (南岗镇), Quyangqiao Town (曲阳桥镇)

Townships: • Xipingle Township (西平乐乡), Nanniu Township (南牛乡), Nanlou Township (南楼乡).

Transport Zhengding has several important railway and road connections, namely the Beijing–Guangzhou, Shijiazhuang–Taiyuan, and Shijiazhuang–Dezhou railways (石德铁路), and the Beijing–Hong Kong and Macau and Qingdao–Yinchuan Expressways.

Line 1 of Shijiazhuang Metro has 4 stations in Zhengding County.

Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport (SJW/ZBSJ) is located in the county's north-east corner; the Zhengding Airport railway station on the new Beijing–Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong High-Speed Railway is nearby.