Dingzhou 定州市

History

The city government traces Dingzhou back to Emperor Yao (尧帝), said to have made his capital at Tangcheng (唐城) here 4,300 years ago. It was later the capital of the Warring States kingdom of Zhongshan (中山), of the Zhongshan kingdoms of the Western and Eastern Han, and of the Later Yan (后燕), and it took the name Dingzhou in AD 400. Among its natives the city lists the Warring States general Lian Po (廉颇), the Han musician Li Yannian (李延年), the Tang poets Liu Yuxi (刘禹锡) and Cui Hu (崔护) and the Song philosophers Cheng Hao (程颢) and Cheng Yi (程颐), while Sima Guang (司马光), Han Qi (韩琦) and Su Shi (苏轼) all held office here. James Yen (晏阳初) ran his mass-education Ding County Experiment (定县试验) here.

What to see

The city has nine national and 15 provincial protected sites. The Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda (开元寺塔), also called the Liaodi Pagoda (料敌塔), "the pagoda for watching the enemy", was ordered by Emperor Zhenzong of Song in 1001 after the monk Huineng (会能) brought relics back from India, and took 55 years to finish. It is an eight-sided brick tower of 11 storeys and 84 metres, listed in the first national batch; the Song used it to watch Khitan (契丹) movements. Its northeast face collapsed in 1884, and after repairs from 1986 it reopened in 2002.

Dingzhou Museum (定州博物馆), on the south side of Zhongshan East Road (中山东路), is a national first-grade museum in a Han-style building and holds more than 50,000 objects. Nearby stand three more national sites: the old examination hall (定州贡院), the Confucian temple and the former home of James Yen. The Confucian Temple (定州文庙) was founded in 848 under the Tang, enlarged by Han Qi in 1050, and is described as the most complete surviving Confucian temple in Hebei.

Local traditions

Dingzhou yangge opera (定州秧歌戏), named after its birthplace, has been on the national intangible-heritage list since the first batch of 2006. Tradition holds that it grew from a folk tune arranged by Su Shi. Singers use their full natural voice, lyrics are close to everyday speech with plenty of dialect, and it still keeps a form accompanied only by percussion. The social scientist Li Jinghan (李景汉) collected and published nearly 100 of its plays. The city government also calls Dingzhou the granary of central Hebei.

Highlights

• Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda 开元寺塔: Northern Song brick pagoda, 84 metres and 11 storeys, begun in 1001 and 55 years in the building; described as the tallest surviving brick pagoda in China.
• Dingzhou Museum 定州博物馆: National first-grade museum with more than 50,000 objects, in a Han-style building.
• Dingzhou Confucian Temple 定州文庙: Founded in 848 and enlarged by Han Qi in 1050; described as Hebei's most complete surviving Confucian temple.
• Dingzhou yangge opera 定州秧歌戏: Local opera sung in full natural voice, national intangible heritage since 2006.