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