Longxing Temple (Zhengding)

Longxing Temple
The Manichean Hall of the Longxing Temple
Basic information
Location	Zhengding
Geographic coordinates	38°8′38.91″N 114°34′33.86″E / 38.1441417°N 114.5760722°E / 38.1441417; 114.5760722Coordinates: 38°8′38.91″N 114°34′33.86″E / 38.1441417°N 114.5760722°E / 38.1441417; 114.5760722
Affiliation	Buddhist
Province	Hebei
Country	People's Republic of China
Completed	1052 CE Song Dynasty

The Longxing Monastery or Longxing Temple (Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is an ancient Buddhist monastery located near the town of Zhengding in Hebei Province, China, approximately 15 kilometers north of the provincial capital of Shijiazhuang. It has been referred to as the "First Temple south of Beijing".

The monastery was first built in 586 AD, during the Sui Dynasty. Its original name was Longcang monastery (Chinese: ; pinyin: ). One of the oldest stelae on the grounds of the monastery, the "Longcangsi Stele" (Chinese: ; pinyin: ), dates from the year the monastery's foundation. Much of it was reconstructed during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD).

Following a common pattern, the monastery complex features a central axis along which a sequence of buildings and focal points is arranged. The first building is the Hall of the Heavenly Kings. At the opposite end of the axis is the Main Hall (Chinese: ; pinyin: ), a 33-meter-high wooden structure, which houses a bronze statue of Guan Yin. This bronze was built during the early years of the Song Dynasty; its height exceeds 20 meters. Inside the hall, a staircase leads around the statue which allows it to be seen from top to bottom.