Longxing Temple is the pre-eminent site in Zhengding and one of the best-preserved Tang and Song dynasty temple complexes in northern China. Founded in the Sui dynasty in AD 586, it was substantially rebuilt and expanded during the Northern Song period, and the buildings that stand today date largely from that era. The compound is large — about five hectares — and contains a series of halls arranged on a central axis, each housing notable sculpture.
The centrepiece is the Moni Hall, a Song dynasty building of unusual form: it extends in four directions like a cross, rather than a simple rectangle, with small halls projecting from each side. Inside, a Tang-period clay sculpture of Guanyin seated on rocks is considered one of the finest examples of its kind in China. Further into the compound, the Great Compassion Pavilion houses the great bronze Thousand-Armed Guanyin — 22 metres tall, cast in 975, and still dominating the space as its makers intended. The range and quality of sculpture across the complex is exceptional; the temple takes time to appreciate properly.