The Longxing Monastery or Longxing Temple (simplified Chinese: 隆兴寺; traditional Chinese: 隆興寺; pinyin: Lóngxīng Sì) is an ancient Buddhist monastery located in the town of Zhengding in Hebei Province, China, approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of the provincial capital of Shijiazhuang.

Following a common pattern, the monastery complex features a central axis along which a sequence of buildings and focal points is arranged.

At the opposite end of the axis is the Tower of Great Mercy (Chinese: 大悲閣; pinyin: Dàbēi Gé), a 33 m (108 ft)-high wooden structure, which houses a 21.3 m (70 ft) bronze statue of Guanyin cast during the early years of the Song dynasty.

A unique piece of 12th-century wood architecture from the Song dynasty in the temple is the Pavilion of Zhuanlunzang, which was restored in the 20th century.

[4] The Hall of Four Heavenly Kings (Chinese: 天王殿; pinyin: Tiānwáng Diàn) is the first building along the axis of Longxing Temple.

[4] The Hall of Four Heavenly Kings is 23.28m in length and 9.62m in width, with doors on both long sides, facing the south and north.

[4] Four statues of the four heavenly kings, each of 4.8m in height, were worshipped on the east and west end of the hall, two on each side.

[6] Nine was the largest number allowed for the Jians of Buddhist halls in the hierarchy system in ancient China.

[7] This combination of square layout, Baosha, and the roof style gave the building a unique exterior appearance, complicated and magnificent.

Liang Sicheng, the respected Chinese architect, commented with a surprise when he first saw this hall in 1933: "Except for the coner towers of the Forbidden City, such layout can only be found in the paintings of the Song dynasty.

In particular, from the perspective of its form, the Mani Hall is overlaying and magnificent, which is indeed one of the finest pieces of architecture art.

The gilded Shakyamuni sits in the middle on an octangle Xumi platform with two of his disciples standing on both sides.

Guanyin, the Buddhist figure representing great compassion and mercy in Chinese culture sits elegantly on a colored cloud in the center, with right foot stepping on a lotus, and left leg casually put on the right one.

This group of statues is unique for making the Buddhist figure look like a kind and pretty lady instead of the traditional serious or solemn image, giving people a closer and even intimate feeling.

[8] Some researchers believe this group of statues was made in the 42nd year of the Jiajing Period of the Ming dynasty (AD 1563) according to a tablet embedded in the wall.

[4] The famous Chinese writer Lu Xun love this Guanyin statue in particular and put a photo of it on his working desk so as to see it every day.

[4] The stone platform, covered by a wooden structure, sits a bronze double-faced Buddha statue, which was cast in the 6th year of the Hongzhi Period of the Ming dynasty (AD 1493).

[4] To accommodate this Zhuanlunzang, the building adopted some unique structural techniques, including shifting the columns, using some curved beams, etc.

[4] In the center stands a 7.4 metres (24 ft) tall statue of Maitreya that was carved from a single piece of wood and decorated with colorful paints.

[4] The west one is engraved in four languages: traditional Chinese, Manchu on the front (south) and Tibetan, Mongolian on the back.

[4] In 1992, the State Bureau of Cultural Relics decided to reconstruct the Tower of Great Mercy and its affiliated buildings.

[4] In the center of Tower of Great Mercy, on a 2.25 m (7 ft 5 in)-tall Xumi platform, stands a huge bronze statue of the Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Guanyin (Chinese: 千手千眼觀音; pinyin: Qiānshǒu Qiānyǎn Guānyīn), a manifestation of Guanyin with a “thousand hands and thousand eyes”, which is 21.3 metres (70 ft) in height.

It is listed as one of "the four preciouses of Hebei Province" (the other three are the Liaodi Pagoda, Anji Bridge, and the Iron Lion of Cangzhou).

[4] It was also loved and worshipped by the local people, who often donated money and treasures for the daily maintenance of the statue.

[4] Except for the major buildings mentioned above, there are several other halls and pavilions located behind (to the north of) the Tower of Great Mercy: