Tangshan City Datang Xingguo Zen Temple

Datang Xingguo Zen Temple was first built in the 19th year of the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty. When Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, was on an eastern expedition to Goguryeo, he once stayed overnight at Dacheng Mountain. After returning victorious, he built a temple on this mountain, naming it Datang Xingguo Zen Temple, with the meaning of prospering the country and bringing peace to the people, ensuring the eternal prosperity of the nation. The temple was destroyed in the Tangshan earthquake of 1976 and remained desolate for decades. Because pepper trees were planted around the temple, it was also popularly known as the Pepper Temple.