Zhengding was the seat of Zhending prefecture and a religious centre before Shijiazhuang existed. Its historic core keeps a cross-shaped street plan, sections of wall and four pagodas of different dates, including the Tianning and Kaiyuan pagodas. The town is also the setting for Longxing Temple and for a cluster of smaller monasteries and halls that make it one of the densest historic townscapes in Hebei.
Zhengding, 260 kilometres south of Beijing, was an administrative and religious centre for a thousand years. Four pagodas, each of a different shape and century, still stand among its streets, beside a Tang bell tower, a Song temple and a Confucian hall older than any other in China.