(1) Walking around in Zhengding, the original locus of what is now Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei Province. This gateway was unexpected; it's a reproduction of part of the ancient city wall.
(2) These statues are on the north side (the inside) of Zhengding's South Gate.
(3) This statue near the South Gate is the monk Linji Yixuan, whose pagoda I had visited a bit earlier in the day. He was famously iconoclastic; he's the one who said, "If you meet a buddha, kill the buddha." He then continued: "If you meet a patriarch, kill the patriarch. If you meet an arhat, kill the arhat. If you meet your parents, kill your parents. If you meet your kinfolk, kill your kinfolk. Then for the first time you will gain emancipation, will not be entangled with things, will pass freely anywhere you wish to go." (Christians, if you think this is terrible, read Luke 14:25 for instance.)
(4) Zhengding began as a military castle in 352AD, merely earthen ramparts. It was upgraded over the years; this is part of the Ming Dynasty wall.
(5) Another section of Ming Dynasty wall near the south gate of Zhengding, Hebei.
(6) This "Ye Olde Cathay" street runs north from the South Gate in Zhengding. All of my destinations were near it; I walked most of it.
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Last Updated August 6, 2019
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