[2025 Zhengding Hotels] Travel Guide for Jianguo HIDDEN Hotel (Shijiazhuang Ancient City of Zhengding) (Updated Oct)

“So close and so beautiful, spend the weekend in Hebei!” This 3-day itinerary for Shijiazhuang + Handan takes you to underrated museums, millennia-old ancient cities, unlocks historical idioms, and lets you savor authentic local snacks. A fully packed trip with no pitfalls! 📅 Day 1: Shijiazhuang · Museum + Asia’s Largest Night Market, Understand Hebei’s Heritage Itinerary 1. Morning: Arrive by high-speed train, check in at Hebei Museum - Transportation: Take the high-speed train directly to Shijiazhuang Station, then head straight to the Hebei Museum (advance reservation required, don’t miss it! A seriously underrated treasure). - Exhibition route: Start with authentic Anhui beef noodle soup in the basement (a hidden gem inside the museum), then rush to the second floor’s “Great Han Dynasty” exhibition to see treasures like the Changxin Palace Lantern. Explore other exhibits at leisure, and don’t miss the thoughtfully designed cultural and creative shop. 2. Evening: Visit Asia’s largest night market, taste all the special snacks - Head to Zhengding Small Commodities Night Market. For panoramic photos, go to the fourth floor of the parking lot for an unobstructed view. Must-try foods: Thai-style salty cheese, crispy fried mushrooms, authentic Wuhan hot dry noodles—eat until full! 3. Accommodation: Jianguo Puyin (Zhengding Ancient City Branch) - Close to the night market and ancient city, very convenient for exploring Zhengding the next day, saving travel time. 📅 Day 2: Zhengding Ancient City → Handan · From Millennia-Old Temples to the Hometown of Idioms Morning: Walk around Zhengding Ancient City, visit 6 major attractions for 80 yuan 1. Core route: Longxing Temple → Tianning Temple (Lingxiao Pagoda) → Kaiyuan Temple → Linji Temple (Chengling Pagoda) → Guanghui Temple (Hua Pagoda) → Zhengding South City Gate (for panoramic ancient city photos) 2. Tickets & highlights: - Buy an 80 yuan combo ticket directly at Longxing Temple ticket office, covering all 6 attractions, great value. - Longxing Temple (key visit): See the “Eastern Beauty” Mani Hall inverted Guanyin, Western Pure Land murals, bronze Vairocana Buddha, the largest prayer wheel, and the Longzang Temple stele; note that the Thousand-Hand and Thousand-Eye Guanyin at the Great Compassion Pavilion is under renovation and currently closed. - Kaiyuan Temple (must-see): Home to the only surviving Tang Dynasty bell tower in China (Tang base with later upper rebuild), a nine-story brick pagoda with dense eaves, and the largest Bixi turtle statue in the country, full of historical weight. 3. Lunch: Across from Guanghui Temple · Bone broth noodles + donkey meat sandwich - Authentic Hebei flavors, rich bone broth, crispy yet tender donkey meat sandwich, refuel before continuing. Afternoon & Evening: Take high-speed train to Handan, unlock the night view of the idiom city 1. Transportation: Take the afternoon high-speed train from Shijiazhuang to Handan, convenient and time-saving. 2. Night tour route: - Walk north along Huiche Road (the origin of the story where Lin Xiangru yields to Lian Po), passing Congtai Park (site of King Zhao Wuling’s “wearing Hu clothes and riding archery”), and Xuebu Bridge (origin of the “Handan Learning Walk” idiom). Explore historical sites in the evening for a rich atmosphere. 3. Accommodation: Atour Hotel (New Century Center Branch) - Central location, convenient for dining and shopping, close to Handan Station for the next day’s departure. 📅 Day 3: Handan · 5 Yuan Niche Train + Xiangtangshan Grottoes, Explore the Thousand-Year Buddhist Kingdom Morning: Ride the “hidden train,” visit Jiangbei’s First Pavilion 1. Transportation: Take train number 57125 for 5 yuan (important!) - Arrive at Handan Station by 7:18 AM, note this train is not listed on 12306 and only accepts cash, don’t waste time looking for tickets in advance. 2. Tour: Zhifang Yuhuang Pavilion → South Xiangtang Grottoes - Take the 5-yuan train to Xinshi District Station, then rent an electric bike to Zhifang Yuhuang Pavilion, known as “Jiangbei’s First Pavilion.” Focus on its unique coffered ceiling, an exquisite craft. - Walk to South Xiangtang Grottoes (20 yuan entrance fee), must-see highlights: - Cave 1: Unique Persian lion sculptures; - Cave 2: Fiery patterns formed by flying apsaras, vivid and lifelike; - Cave 7 (most exquisite): The only two complete statues, the only intact Ten Heavenly Kings, and the Thousand Buddha Cave. The ceiling’s four groups of flying apsaras symbolize “reincarnation.” Don’t miss the fish-holding statue at the base of the right tower, and try to find the popular “Don’t Want to Work Buddha.” Afternoon: North Xiangtangshan Grottoes, eat freshly baked crispy sesame cakes 1. Transportation: Taxi to North Xiangtangshan Grottoes (80 yuan entrance), take a 15 yuan one-way sightseeing bus up the mountain or walk 25 minutes with nice scenery along the way. 2. Tour route: - Digital Exhibition Center (learn grotto history) → Changle Temple (officially open on National Day, experience the ancient temple atmosphere) → 20 meters east of the Caishen Hall (try freshly baked sesame cakes, so crispy they crumble, a must-try!) → Great Buddha Cave → Shakyamuni Cave → Sutra Carving Cave (immerse yourself in thousand-year-old grotto statues and Buddhist culture). 3. Return: Take the direct shuttle bus from the scenic area to Handan Station, ending the 3-day trip.

Zhengding Ancient Town Travel Guide • Must-Visit Attractions: Longxing Temple is renowned as the "Foremost Temple Outside Beijing." Rongguo Mansion served as a filming location for *Dream of the Red Chamber*. The Zhengding Ancient City Wall, a Ming Dynasty relic, offers scenic views from the South Gate Tower. Zhao Yun Temple showcases the life and deeds of the legendary general. • Food Recommendations: Try the ribs at Zhen Ding Haojia Ribs, sample the traditional *hele* noodles at Chen Hezi Hele Village, and don’t miss local specialties like Zhengding Eight Bowls. • Accommodation: For upscale stays, check into Jianguo Puyin Hotel (Shijiazhuang Zhengding Ancient Town Branch), conveniently located within the ancient town. For budget-friendly options, GERISLE Geyu Hotel (Zhengding Ancient Town Small Commodities Night Market Branch) offers great value and a lively atmosphere. Zhuozhou Travel Guide • Must-Visit Attractions: Zhuozhou Museum blends classical gardens with modern architecture, offering insights into local history. Huayang Park is perfect for leisurely strolls. Gao Family Courtyard, built in the late Qing Dynasty, exudes historical charm. • Food Recommendations: Savor Zhuozhou tribute rice and Dukang noodles at various local restaurants. • Accommodation: For luxury, Shuian Huacheng Hotel provides free parking and late-night snacks. Budget travelers can opt for GreenTree Inn (Zhuozhou Railway Station City Government Branch), with convenient transport and parking. Bazhou Travel Guide • Must-Visit Attractions: Shengfang Ancient Town, known as the "Water Town of the North," features unique architecture like Shengfang Museum and Wang Family Courtyard. Dabeisi Temple is grand and awe-inspiring. Bazhou is rich in hot springs—relax at Mingtang Hot Spring Resort. • Food Recommendations: Don’t miss Shengfang crispy candy, Bazhou smoked fish, and fresh river delicacies like Shengfang river crab. • Transportation: Take a high-speed train to Bazhou West Station from Beijing or Tianjin, or drive for easy access. Dingzhou Travel Guide • Must-Visit Attractions: Dingzhou Museum houses three national treasures. Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda is one of China’s tallest ancient brick pagodas. Dingzhou Imperial Examination Hall is a well-preserved ancient exam site. Visit the Double Scholar Trees at Dingzhou Confucian Temple. • Food Recommendations: Head to Chongwen Street or Hui Muslim Street for crispy baked cakes, Dingzhou stewed dishes, and hand-torn sausages. Zhongshan Banquet offers Han culture-themed dining. • Accommodation: For upscale stays, Dingzhou Xiangjiang Wanda Jin Hua Hotel overlooks Times Park. Budget travelers can choose UP Huayi Smart Travel Hotel (Dingzhou Ancient Town Chongwen Street Branch), surrounded by great food and convenient transport.

In the heart of Zhengding Ancient City, there is an eye-catching hotel surrounded by an ancient atmosphere and a strong cultural vibe. Once you stay here, you will be greeted by the ancient city wall as soon as you step out, with a strong sense of history and a touch of modernity. Whether you drive yourself or take public transportation, getting to this place is super convenient. Once you enter the hotel lobby, you will be captivated by the spacious and bright space. The front desk staff are very enthusiastic, and the check-in process is as fast as lightning. The room decor is simple yet not plain, with comfortable beds and soft quilts, ensuring a good night's sleep. The facilities are complete, with high-end bathroom amenities and high-quality Wi-Fi, providing an enjoyable experience. There is also a gym and swimming pool to meet your various needs. When it comes to dining, the hotel's restaurant is impressive, offering a wide range of local specialties and a fusion of Chinese and Western cuisine. The breakfast is rich and varied, catering to both Chinese and Western tastes. The restaurant staff's attitude is so good that it makes you feel at home. I must say, my stay at Jianguo Puyin Hotel was simply amazing! They even organized a cultural tour of Zhengding Ancient City, with a professional guide showing us around, which was very informative. And can you believe it? They even have spa services, it's like heaven! I must say, the service quality of this hotel is impeccable. From the rooms to the facilities, from dining to service, every detail surprised me. The location is also excellent, with convenient transportation and a beautiful surrounding environment. The staff's attitude is also refreshing, I am very satisfied! I must say, Jianguo Puyin Hotel is truly a hidden gem. Whether for business or leisure, it is an excellent choice. If you are looking for a peaceful sanctuary, you must try this place. I guarantee you will fall in love with it!

Due to the length of the article, the various attractions in Zhengding Ancient City will not be introduced in detail. It is recommended that everyone download and collect the panoramic map of Zhengding Ancient City in the album, which includes all the attractions, restrooms, parking lots, etc. in the ancient city. You can arrange a one-day or two-day tour flexibly according to your own time. Today, we strongly recommend the must-see tourist attraction in Zhengding Ancient City: Longxing Temple. Without further ado, let's get straight to the point. Longxing Temple, built in the Sui Dynasty, was originally named Longcang Temple and also known as the Great Buddha Temple. It has a history of more than 1,400 years. Since its establishment, it has been favored by emperors of various dynasties, especially during the Qing Dynasty by emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing, Guangxu, and Empress Dowager Cixi, who visited and worshipped there many times. In the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Kangxi bestowed the name Longxing Temple, which has been used to this day. Currently, the temple holds six national records. National Record No.1: Mani Hall On the south-facing wall inside the hall, there are statues of Shakyamuni and his two disciples, Kasyapa and Ananda, sculpted during the Song Dynasty, along with statues of Manjushri and Samantabhadra sculpted during the Ming Dynasty. The statues are grand and majestic, all original Song Dynasty sculptures. Renowned ancient architecture expert Liang Sicheng praised it highly: "This layout, apart from the corner towers of the Forbidden City in Beijing, I have only seen in Song Dynasty paintings." The overlapping grandeur of Mani Hall can be considered a masterpiece of art and has been photographed and included in the "History of World Architecture". National Record No.2: Inverted Guanyin On the north wall inside Mani Hall is a colorful clay sculpture of a hanging mountain, with over 30 statues, the most notable being a 3.4-meter-tall colorful Guanyin Bodhisattva statue from the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty, commonly known as the "Inverted Guanyin" (inverted, indicating the great compassion of Guanyin Bodhisattva who never turns back from saving all beings). Moreover, no matter where you stand or from what angle you view this Guanyin Bodhisattva statue, it seems as if Guanyin Bodhisattva is smiling at you, which is quite mystical. Finally, you may ask, what is inverted sitting? Simply put, Guanyin Bodhisattva usually sits facing south, but in the entire country, only this Guanyin Bodhisattva in Longxing Temple sits facing north, hence the name Inverted Guanyin. National Record No.3: Revolving Sutra Cabinet The Revolving Sutra Cabinet Pavilion, built in the Northern Song Dynasty, has a unique beam structure. The lower level of the pavilion, due to the placement of the revolving sutra cabinet, breaks the conventional column layout and uses a method of moving columns, while the eaves columns use an inserted column method, which is extremely rare in ancient Chinese architecture. The Song Dynasty revolving sutra cabinet (commonly known as the sutra cabinet) placed inside the pavilion is a large rotating bookshelf, octagonal in shape, with a diameter of 7 meters. The cabinet above is double-eaved, with eight brackets under the eaves, making it the earliest example of multiple bracket sets in China. The upper eaves are round with flying eaves, a typical method from the Song Dynasty's "Yingzao Fashi". It is the oldest and largest sutra cabinet in China. The entire weight of the revolving sutra cabinet is supported by a hidden needle at the bottom. It is the earliest and largest existing revolving sutra cabinet in China. National Record No.4: Longcang Temple Stele The Longcang Temple Stele, carved on December 5, 586 AD during the Kaihuang period of the Sui Dynasty, has a head height of 82 cm, with the inscription "Hengzhou Governor, Duke of E, for the country, encouraged the construction of Longcang Temple Stele". The stele is 164 cm high and 90.5 cm wide, with 30 lines of regular script on the front, each line containing 50 characters, totaling 1,446 characters. It is currently the earliest existing regular script stele in China. Ouyang Xiu first recorded this stele in his "Collection of Ancient Records", and in modern times, Kang Youwei called it the "First Stele of the Sui Dynasty", later known as the "First Regular Script Stele". National Record No.5: Thousand-Hand Thousand-Eye Guanyin Statue The Thousand-Hand Thousand-Eye Guanyin Statue, first cast in the fourth year of the Kaibao period of the Northern Song Dynasty (971 AD), is 21.3 meters high, the largest ancient bronze artwork in China. Why is it called Thousand-Hand Thousand-Eye? According to Buddhist teachings, there are 20 hands and eyes on each side of the Guanyin statue, each hand and eye having 25 powers. Multiplying these together results in a thousand hands and eyes, symbolizing Guanyin Bodhisattva's ability to save all beings. National Record No.6: Vairocana Buddha Statue The Vairocana Buddha Statue is 6.42 meters high, tapering upwards like a pagoda, with a gold-plated surface. The statue is divided into three levels, each with four Vairocana Buddhas, wearing five Buddha crowns, making the Vairocana mudra, and sitting in the lotus position. Each of the thousand lotus petals on the three-tiered lotus seat has a small Buddha statue, forming a pattern of a thousand Buddhas surrounding the Vairocana Buddha. In total, there are 1,072 Buddha statues, symbolizing "a thousand Buddhas surrounding Vairocana". You can learn more about the above six national records and their exquisite and rich historical and cultural value through the album in the article or by searching online. If you need accommodation, you can consider Jianguo Puyin Hotel, which has good hardware and software. For dining, you can consider Juqinglou Old Beijing Hotpot, Haojia Ribs, Changshan Banquet, etc., which have good environments and dishes. Finally, Zhengding Ancient City also provides free drinking water and free parking for out-of-town tourists, which is very friendly. If you are interested, you must experience the so-called "five-star standard" public restrooms, which offer public rest areas, newspapers, vending machines, power banks, free WIFI, drinking water, shoe polishers, and other amenities. The cleanliness is comparable to hotel room standards, far surpassing other cities. Attention to detail determines success. We welcome everyone to actively leave comments and share your travel experiences in Zhengding Ancient City. The most beautiful Zhengding, ancient city charm!

🚗🚗🚗Travel Itinerary: Day1: China Ancient Animal Museum (Baoding Natural Museum) → Governor's Office of Zhili → Ancient Lotus Pond → Zhengding Ancient City → Jianguo Puyin Hotel (Zhengding Ancient City, Shijiazhuang) Day2: Hebei Museum → Tianning Temple → Longxing Temple → Kaiyuan Temple → Linji Temple Chengling Pagoda → Linji Temple → Zhengding County Confucian Temple → Guanghui Temple Pagoda → Dabeige → Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda → Dingzhou Ancient City → Song Street → Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda Square → Anyu Song Street | Chinoiserie Archaic Rhyme Hotel·Guofeng Guryun Hotel (Dingzhou Song Street Museum Store) Day3: Dingzhou Museum → Dingzhou Gongyuan → Confucian Temple → Zhongshan Han Tomb

I searched online for a long time before coming to the ancient city of Zhengding, and finally decided to stay at this 'Jianguo Puyin' hotel, which is under the BTG Hotel Group. I expected the service quality to be decent, and indeed, I have been satisfied with my stay these past two days. The location is about one or two kilometers away from all the sights I wanted to visit; a taxi ride only costs ten yuan at most. The street below is very quiet at night, and there are no night markets or food stalls around, so there's no need to worry about being disturbed by passing vehicles or people chatting over drinks. The hotel opened in 2022, and the furniture in the rooms no longer has any smell, but everything is brand new. There's an electric toilet, a smart Xiaodu assistant, a mini-fridge with three or four types of drinks that are free to consume, and the hotel also offers free parking. The only slight disappointment is that the standard rooms don't have bathtubs, so my desire to soak after a long walk couldn't be fulfilled. At two-thirty in the afternoon, you can go to the restaurant for coffee, fruit, and a few kinds of snacks, all for free, which is quite nice, especially since it's hot outside at that time, and it's good to rest for a while before heading out again. Lastly, I still have to offer some advice to the hotel: the soundproofing in the rooms needs some work. I could hear every word of the conversation from the room next door last night; I was just short of grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds and joining in on the chat