Xiangdu District 襄都区

History

The district government counts more than 3,500 years of city-building here and calls it the first city in the history of North China. The present district was created in April 1981 as Qiaodong District (桥东区) and took the name Xiangdu in June 2020. The Xingzhou Ancient City scenic area covers 4.1 square kilometres and, by the district's account, keeps the most complete old official road in China.

What to see

The Da Kaiyuan Temple (大开元寺), built by imperial order in the Tang Kaiyuan era, is one of the ancestral temples of the Caodong (曹洞宗) school of Chan Buddhism. Four carved dragon columns, each 4.5 metres tall, were added before its Shakyamuni Hall in 1518, and a 2.7-metre iron bell cast in 1184 stands before the same hall. It is a national key cultural relics site.

Qingfeng Tower (清风楼), once beside the Shunde prefecture offices in the old city centre, has a brick base with an arched passage, a middle storey ringed with brick railings and a timber top floor. It was named Qingfeng ("clear breeze") after a Ming rebuilding in the Chenghua reign and became a national key site in October 2019.

The Xingtai Daode Jing Pillar (邢台道德经幢), set up in 739 by the Xingzhou prefect Li Zhi (李质), is a 6.89-metre stone column carved with the Daode Jing and Emperor Xuanzong's commentary; it stands outdoors at the north end of Fuqian South Street (府前南街) and has been a national key site since 2013.

The Xingtai Museum (邢台博物院), next to the Kaiyuan Temple, opened in December 2020 and runs eight permanent exhibitions, including one on the Xing kilns (邢窑); its collection includes a Tang Xing-kiln white-glazed jar marked "Hanlin" (翰林). Two rows of school buildings survive from the Zhili Fourth Normal School (直隶第四初级师范学校), founded in 1910; the site, now a provincial cultural relics site, lies within the grounds of Xingtai University.

Parks and springs

The district government reports that Goutou Spring (狗头泉) and Liuxi Spring (柳溪泉) have flowed again after ecological restoration, and singles out the Baiquan Yuanshui (百泉鸳水) tourist resort area and the Xingxiang Ecological Park (邢襄生态园). Xingtai University (邢台学院) is also in the district.

Getting oriented

Xiangdu lies on the Beijing–Hong Kong–Macau high-speed railway, and the Beijing–Zhuhai expressway and National Highway 107 cross it. The district gives distances of 380 kilometres to Beijing and 120 kilometres to Shijiazhuang (石家庄).

Highlights

• Da Kaiyuan Temple 大开元寺: Tang temple with 1518 dragon columns and an iron bell cast in 1184; national key site.
• Qingfeng Tower 清风楼: Ming tower in the old city centre; national key site since 2019.
• Xingtai Daode Jing Pillar 邢台道德经幢: 6.89-metre stone pillar of 739 carved with the Daode Jing; national key site since 2013.
• Xingtai Museum 邢台博物院: Opened 2020 beside the Kaiyuan Temple, with a Xing kiln gallery among eight permanent exhibitions.
• Zhili Fourth Normal School 直隶第四初级师范学校: 1910 school buildings; provincial cultural relics site.