Zhending

Zhengding County 正定县
County
The Manichaean Hall of the Longxing Monastery
Zhengding Location of the seat in Hebei
Coordinates (County): 38°08′N 114°34′E / 38.133°N 114.567°E / 38.133; 114.567Coordinates: 38°08′N 114°34′E / 38.133°N 114.567°E / 38.133; 114.567
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Hebei
Prefecture	Shijiazhuang
Area
• Total	468 km2 (181 sq mi)
Population
• Total	594,000
• Density	1,300/km2 (3,300/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Website	www.zd.gov.cn

Zhengding (Chinese: 正定; pinyin: Zhèngdìng), originally Zhending, and formerly romanized as Chengting, is a county of southwestern Hebei Province, China, located approximately 260 km (160 mi) south of Beijing. It comes under the administration and is located just to the north of the urban core of Shijiazhuang 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.

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, since 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.