The structures in Longxing Temple are not the earliest in Zhengding. The earliest preserved structure is, in fact, a pagoda in Kaiyuan Buddhist Temple to the west. This pagoda is a Tang Dynasty (618-907) remnant, according to Liang's judgment.

There are four pagodas in Zhengding with a history of more than 800 years. Such a number makes Zhengding a prominent city in China for historical heritage protection.

We took two days to cover most of the attractions of historical interest and wrapped up our tour of Zhengding by ascending the southern gate tower, which is a part of the ancient city wall.

To the south of the gate, we saw a skyline marked by a great number of skyscrapers. They belong to Shi--jiazhuang, which used to be a part of Zhengding about eight decades ago. It is now the capital of Hebei province and an international metropolis.

To its north is the ancient city of Zhengding, marked by four landmark pagodas along its central axis, and a great number of old temples, streets and courtyards.

Here we felt like standing at a historical crossroads: a convergence of the past and present, of tradition and modernity.