Xinhua District 新华区

What to see

Pilu Temple (毗卢寺) stands in Shangjing village (上京村), Dubei subdistrict, on the northeast bank of the Shijin main canal (石津总干渠). Founded in the Tianbao reign of the Tang dynasty and named after the Vairocana Buddha of its main hall, it became a national key protected monument in 1996. Only the Shakyamuni Hall and the Vairocana Hall are Ming buildings; the rest was rebuilt in 1988. The Vairocana Hall, with a hip-and-gable roof and a front porch, keeps Ming murals and statues, and specialists from the Dunhuang Academy carried out a large restoration of the murals in 2017.

The former headquarters of the People's Bank of China (中国人民银行总行旧址), dating from 1948, joined the national list in 2013. Provincial-level monuments in the district include the Shijiazhuang Great Stone Bridge (石家庄大石桥), Yong'an Bridge (永安桥), the Zhengtai Hotel (正太饭店) and the French-style villa of the Shijiazhuang rolling-stock works (石家庄车辆厂法式别墅). The district government's 2026 work report names Pilu Temple and the French-style villa among the heritage sites it plans to protect and put to use.

Getting oriented

The east of the district is a trading hub with the Taihe Electronics City (太和电子城), the Wanli Temple clothing market and the Xinhua market (新华集贸市场). Zhongshan Road (中山路), one of Shijiazhuang's main shopping streets, runs along its south, while the north is an area of small firms. Wanli Temple Pedestrian Street (湾里庙步行街) was picked by the Ministry of Commerce in 2023 for its third batch of national model pedestrian streets, and in 2025 the Ministry of Culture and Tourism named it a national tourism and leisure block.

The district's redevelopment is focused on four areas: Zhonghua North (中华北), Heping West (和平西), Zhengtai (正太) and the North Station (北站) district, where Shijiazhuang North Railway Station has been renovated. Phase one of Metro Line 5 is under construction, with five of its stations in Xinhua.

Highlights

• Pilu Temple 毗卢寺: Temple founded in the Tang; its Ming Vairocana Hall keeps Ming murals restored by Dunhuang Academy specialists in 2017.
• Former headquarters of the People's Bank of China 中国人民银行总行旧址: 1948 site listed as a national key protected monument in 2013.
• Wanli Temple Pedestrian Street 湾里庙步行街: National model pedestrian street (2023) and national tourism and leisure block (2025).
• Zhengtai Hotel 正太饭店: Provincial-level protected monument in the district.