A complete guide to the travel notes of major temples in Beijing

Beijing weather: sunny

Accommodation: Weiming Vision Photography Theme Hotel

Comments: There is no food, there is Qingfeng Baozi shop nearby, the location of the hotel is very good, you can walk to Beihai Park of Prince Gong's Mansion, Houhai Yandai Xiejie is nearby, and the bus is also convenient. You can go to the Great Wall by 877, the hotel The service is very enthusiastic. I live on the second floor. The luggage is taken up and unloaded by the young man. You can take pictures in the leisure area. There are clothes. There is an aunt in Xingtai, Hebei, who is very enthusiastic about how to take pictures and how to make them. She is very considerate. She also gave welcome fruit and the fruit is Put it in the refrigerator, so sweet.

The order of the content of the full text is not according to the fame of the temple, but simply according to the time of the visit.
A few strategies and tips are attached for the reference of interested students only.
While visiting and writing, I gradually found that I wrote more and more, so I divided it into two parts:
In the previous article, the ten temples in the city were mainly concentrated in the area within the second ring road of the capital;
The next article writes about the ten temples outside the city, which are basically within reach by car.
Another: How many temples are there in the capital? According to the statistics of "Beijing Temples" published in 2013, there are about 135 temples.

【Explore the origin of Buddhist temples in Beijing】

Last winter, I got a postcard of Zhihua Temple by chance—I just realized that behind the bustling Galaxy SOHO, there is such a slightly mysterious temple so quietly. So, the idea of looking for temples in the capital came up. After checking the information one after another and doing some homework, I found that besides the famous Tanzhe Temple and Dajue Temple, there are actually many temples hidden in the second ring road. They are either prosperous with incense, or quiet and quiet... and this modern Accompanied by the hot city, it is also moving and still.
Temples in Beijing are like scattered pearls, embellishing the cultural heritage and historical memory of this ancient city. It is an interesting thing to search and discover. It took almost half a year to search, look and feel slowly: some temples have incense, some have monks and nuns, and some have temples. The incense is prosperous but too noisy, and some have neither incense nor monks, and are only cultural relics protection units. In old or new temples, there are hidden histories that are not in books, amazing cultural relics, and countless legends and stories.
During this period, I talked with a few friends about the temple. What exactly is a real temple? What does the temple mean to each of us? In the eyes of a thousand people, there are a thousand kinds of temples, or they are beliefs, or they are pure, or they are just curious. In my heart, a temple is a place of peace of mind, a place where we can calm down and think about or let go of many things.

【 Lama Temple 】

[Location and transportation] No. 12 Lama Temple Street, Dongcheng District, Lama Temple Station of Metro Line 5 and Line 2, there is a small parking lot at the main entrance, and the parking spaces are very limited, so it is inconvenient to drive there.
[Opening hours] 9:00-16:00/16:30 from Monday to Sunday (low season November to March / peak season April to October).
[Ticket information] 25 yuan, there are discounts and reductions for certificates, seniors, etc.
[Buddhist temple history and ancient cultural relics]
The first royal temple in the Qing Dynasty, a complete school of Tibetan Buddhism. In the thirty-third year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1694), Emperor Kangxi built a mansion here and bestowed it on his fourth son, Prince Yong, and called it Prince Yong's Mansion. In the third year of Yongzheng (1725), the palace was changed into a palace called Lama Temple. In the thirteenth year of Yongzheng (1735), Yongzheng died, and the coffin was parked here. Therefore, the original green glazed tiles of the main hall of Lama Temple were changed to yellow glazed tiles. Because Emperor Qianlong was born here, and two emperors came out of Lama Temple, it became a "blessed place for dragons to dive into", so the palace has yellow tiles and red walls, which are the same specifications as the Forbidden City Palace. In the ninth year of Qianlong (1744), the Lama Temple was changed into a Lama Temple, and the Minister of Prime Minister Affairs Wang was appointed to manage the affairs of the palace without a fixed number of staff. It can be said that the Lama Temple is the highest-standard Buddhist temple in the country in the middle and late Qing Dynasty.
After liberation, the government carried out comprehensive renovations in 1950, 1952, and 1979, and announced it as a national key cultural relic protection unit in 1961. It was opened to the outside world in 1981. In March 1961, the Lama Temple was listed by the State Council as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units. The entire temple is composed of three exquisite archways, Yonghe Gate, Yonghe Palace, "Four Learning Halls" (Pharmacist Hall, Mathematics Hall, Tantric Hall, Lecture Hall) and three cultural relics showrooms. There are many Buddha statues, thangkas and a large number of precious cultural relics in each hall, the most famous of which are the 500 Arhat Mountains made of rosewood, the Buddhist altars made of golden nanmu and the 18-meter-high sandalwood Buddha.
【Travel Notes】
Lama Temple is the most famous for its flourishing incense, and every New Year's Day will really break the threshold. Even on weekdays, there is an endless stream of people who come to visit and burn incense. Just on a certain day in spring, my friend proposed to go to Lama Temple, and said to burn incense and transfer luck, so as to relax the heart that was dragged down by tedious life. In my opinion, luck is no different from fate. Whether you worship Buddha or not, there will be no increase, no decrease, no more, no less. Burning incense and worshiping Buddha is more of a process of finding our own heart.
So, one morning, we came to the Lama Temple together, looking up at the face of the Buddha statue and listening to the sound of the Buddha in the noisy city center. As for me, I also started the exploration journey of ancient Buddhist temples and cultural relics from Lama Temple. I remember that I went to the Lama Temple twice when I was very young. At that time, I could still see many cultural relics. Unfortunately, I was too young to understand history. Nowadays, there are fewer and fewer cultural relics that ordinary tourists can see. Everything is fate with those Buddha statues and monks who can no longer meet.

Lama Temple

Lama Temple【Chijian Zhenjue Temple (Five Pagoda Temple)】

[Location and transportation] No. 24, Wutasi Village, Xicheng District, National Library of Metro Line 9 and Line 4 (exit C southeast exit), it is inconvenient to drive there.
[Opening hours] Wuta Temple is also a stone carving museum. It is closed on Mondays, and it is 9:00-16:30 from Tuesday to Sunday, and admission is closed at 16:00.
[Ticket information] 15 yuan, there are discounts and reductions for certificates, seniors, etc. Every Wednesday, the first 200 people get free tickets.
[Buddhist temple history and ancient cultural relics]
The pagoda of Wuta Temple was built in the ninth year of Chenghua in Ming Dynasty (1473), and it is named "King Kong Throne Pagoda of Zhenjue Temple". According to historical records, in the early years of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, Indian monk Pandida came to Beijing from the Western Regions and presented five golden Buddhas and the Indian style "Buddha Gaya Pagoda", that is, the Vajra Throne, to Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty was very speculative in discussing scriptures and laws with him. He was appointed as a great master of the country, awarded a golden seal, and granted a land on the north bank of the Changhe River (now Gaoliang River) outside Xiguan (now Xizhimen), and built a temple for him. . Later, the Vajra Throne Pagoda was built according to the regulations provided by the eminent monk, and the temple was rebuilt. After the completion of the Wuta Temple, it faces the Changhe River and leans against the West Mountain.
Since the late Qing Dynasty, the Wuta Temple gradually declined, and in the early years of the Republic of China, there was only one pagoda standing in a piece of rubble. The pagoda's gilt copper pagoda has been stolen many times because it was left unattended. The Vajra Throne Pagoda of Wuta Temple is a Buddhist pagoda in the form of Gaya Vihara (a memorial tower built in the Gaya Mountain Temple where Sakyamuni attained enlightenment) in India. Among the more than ten similar pagodas in my country, the Vajra Throne Pagoda of Wuta Temple It is earlier in age and the most beautiful in style. It can be regarded as a representative work of Ming Dynasty architecture and stone carving art, and it is also a model of the combination of Chinese and foreign cultures.
In addition, the open-air display of the Stone Sculpture Museum is divided into eight residential areas according to content and function. There are more than 500 kinds of stone carving cultural relics on display, and more than 1,000 kinds of stone carvings in the library. Among them are the earliest extant stone carvings in the Beijing area, "Han Dynasty Youzhou Shuzuo Qinjunzhi Shendao" pillars and stone tower components; there are precious statues from the Northern Dynasties, epitaphs from Tang and Ming Dynasty, stone carvings from the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, Shi Xiangxue and postcards from the Qing Dynasty And famous calligraphers carved stone.
[Tour Notes] The Stone Carving Museum is a niche museum. There are not many people visiting and it is very clean. Only the sound of bells on the eaves of the tower can be heard. After seeing the Vajra Throne Pagoda, Fangjue's ancient architecture and stone carving art are exquisite and exquisite. Other cultural relics in the museum are also of great background, and the volunteers' explanations are very detailed and in-depth, increasing knowledge and gaining insight. The most beautiful season of Wuta Temple should be late autumn. There are two ginkgo trees in front of the pagoda that are more than 600 years old. It is a good place to take photos of ginkgo trees and ancient buildings. The last photo is the flowering of the civil official fruit tree, which is said to be very rare.

Wuta Temple

Five Pagoda Temple [Tianning Temple]

[Location and transportation] No. 3, Tianningsiqian Street, Xicheng District, southwest corner of Tianningsi Bridge on the West Second Ring Road, 1.5 kilometers away from Exit C of Daguanying Station on Metro Line 7, and it is inconvenient to drive there.
[Opening hours] Monday to Sunday 9:00-16:00, no admission at 16:00.
[Ticket Information] Free admission.
[Buddhist temple history and ancient cultural relics] The Buddhist relics that will be enshrined during the Sui Dynasty were hidden in the suggested pagodas of the thirty prefectures in the Central Plains, among which Famen Temple and Tianning Temple are one of them. When it was first built, the pagoda was a wooden pagoda with steps to go up. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the temple was destroyed by the war and only a solitary pagoda remained. The height of the tower is 57.8 meters. There are semi-circular gates on all sides of the tower body. On both sides of the gate, there are high-relief Vajra warriors, Bodhisattvas and Tianbu, and the brick pillars are embossed with elevating dragons.
[Travel Notes] Every time I drive past the Tianning Temple Bridge, I can see this tower, and I am very curious. Finally got to see you. After twisting and turning in the small alley next to the second ring road, I finally found the main entrance. This once grand temple in history was occupied by a thermal power plant and a film factory after liberation, and the monks returned to secular life. Now only the brick pagoda of the Liao Dynasty remains, and it has been seriously damaged due to poor protection. When taking pictures, the tall chimney next to it was particularly eye-catching.

Tianning Temple Pagoda

Tianning Temple Pagoda【Fayuan Temple】

[Location and transportation] No. 7, Fayuansiqian Street, Xicheng District (near Niu Street), it is inconvenient to drive there. After exiting Exit D of Caishikou Station of Metro Line 4 and Line 7, just follow the navigation and walk through a road under renovation The "Lanman Hutong" in the center will be built into a cultural block centered on Fayuan Temple in the future.
[Opening hours] 8:30 to 16:00 all day from Monday to Sunday, 6:00 for the morning class of the temple, and 16:00 for the evening class. Participants who want to rejoice can arrange their own time.
[Ticket Information] Free admission.
[Buddhist temple history and ancient cultural relics]
Fayuan Temple was first built in the 19th year of Zhenguan (645) in the Tang Dynasty, more than 1,300 years ago. Emperor Taizong of Tang ordered to build a temple here and named it "Minzhong Temple" in order to mourn the fallen soldiers who died in the Northern Expedition to Liaodong. After it was rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Yongzheng changed its name to "Fayuan Temple" and designated it as the Lüzong Taoist Temple. The plaque "Fahai Zhenyuan" bestowed by Emperor Qianlong is still hanging in the Daxiong Hall. In 1956, the China Buddhist Academy, the highest institution of Chinese Buddhism, was established here, forming the current pattern of both a Buddhist Academy and a cultural preservation unit.
In the middle of the Daxiong Hall is enshrined the "Three Saints of Huayan", which are the statues of Vairocana Buddha, Manjusri and Puxian Bodhisattva, made in the Ming Dynasty, with wooden bodies pasted with gold and lacquer. The Vairocana Buddha in the middle sits on the Sumeru seat, 2 meters high, with a halo behind it, and a total height of 3.97 meters. Manjusri and Puxian stand on both sides, with a height of 2.14 meters. These three statues are majestic and exquisitely carved, which can be regarded as the best among the statues of the Ming Dynasty.
On both sides of the main hall are seated statues of eighteen arhats, about 1.35 meters high, with wooden tires pasted with gold, made in the Qing Dynasty. In the main hall, there are stone pillars and foundations in the south of the two Qing Dynasties, which are used as lotus petals with rolling leaves. It is estimated that they were the original objects when the temple was built in the early Tang Dynasty. Mizhongtai is called "Buddha-chanting Platform", also known as "Guanyin Hall". The platform base is more than one meter high, surrounded by brick railings, and the hall is built on the platform. The structure of this hall is unique. The outer wall is framed by twelve columns, and the interior is supported by twelve columns in the same style as the Wanchun Pavilion in the Royal Garden of the Forbidden City. The stone carvings and sutra pillars of Fayuan Temple are preserved here, such as "Ode to the Wugou Jingguang Pagoda", "Records of Relics Collected in Minzhong Temple", "Chengjin Built Dharani Sutra Building for Zen Master Fufu" (Yingli Seven Year, 957), the Liao Dynasty's "Yanjing Daminzhong Temple Bodhisattva's Underground Palace Relic Records" is the most precious. The gable outside the hall is also embedded with the remnant column base of the "General Yunhui Stele" copied by Weng Fangwang in the Qing Dynasty, and there are also inscriptions such as "Fayuan Bayong" and "Heart Sutra", which are important materials for studying Buddhism and the history of Fayuan Temple .
In front of the Jingye Hall, there is a huge stone bowl and a double-layer stone seat, surrounded by carvings of seawater patterns and images of mountain dragons, seahorses and eight treasures. In the Jingye Hall, there is a giant bronze statue of Pilu Buddha in the Ming Dynasty, which is as high as the roof (4.58 meters), and has three floors. West, South and North; the top floor is Pilu Buddha. In the southwest corner of Fayuan Temple, there is an original Wugou Jingguang Pagoda. The tower was built in the second year of Tang Zhide (757), with a brick structure and a height of about 3.3 meters.
【Travel Notes】
"One Fayuan Temple is half of Chinese history", this statement is true. Many people know Fayuan Temple, probably from the historical novel "Beijing Fayuan Temple" written by Li Ao, and the grand occasion of lilacs in Fayuan Temple every spring. Although the lilac season was over when I came, it was worthwhile to see a flower that bloomed alone. When I was about to leave at the end of the visit, I happened to hear the monks chanting scriptures before meals, and I felt enlightened. I couldn't help feeling: "Compassion, loyalty, nostalgia for the past, silently watching the lilac, learning the boundless sea and sitting quietly for Bodhi".
After going out, I found that this place is next to Niujie, and not far away is the China Islamic Institute. After checking the information, I found that Niujie area was not a Hui community at first, and Buddhist temples were very common in Niujie area at first. Later, with the historical development, it gradually became a Hui area, forming a pattern of different religious buildings. The benefit for visitors is that they can have a good meal in Niujie by the way. Not far from Fayuan Temple, there is a time-honored restaurant "Xiangyunxuan" in Niujie. There are also Halal Baiji Snacks, Niujie Laobaoduman, Northwest Muslim Restaurant, etc. nearby. You can search the public by yourself.

Fayuan Temple

Fayuan Temple【Guangji Temple】

[Location and transportation] No. 25, Fuchengmen Inner Street, Xicheng District, it is inconvenient to drive there. After exiting Exit B of Xisi Station of Metro Line 4, go west for two to three hundred meters.
[Opening hours] Monday to Sunday, 7:00 to 16:30 all day.
[Ticket Information] Religious places, free of charge.
[Buddhist temple history and ancient cultural relics] Guangji Temple was built in the late Song Dynasty and was named Xiliu Village Temple. It was rebuilt in the early years of Mingshun, and Emperor Xianzong issued an edict to name it "Hongci Guangji Temple" in the second year of Chenghua (1466). The temple was destroyed by fire in 1931 and rebuilt in 1935. The buildings in the temple maintain the pattern of the Ming Dynasty and are divided into three roads. There are many precious cultural relics in the temple, such as the statues of the third Buddha of the Ming Dynasty and the eighteen Arhats, the white marble platform built in the Kangxi period, and the bronze tripod in the Qianlong period. The collection of Buddhist classics in Guangji Temple is very large. There are 23 languages and more than 100,000 volumes of Buddhist classics and works in the library alone. There are 12 versions of the "Tripitaka" in the collection alone. important historical data.
[Travel Notes] Guangji Temple is also the seat of the Chinese Buddhist Association, so many buildings have been renovated and the environment is elegant. Many people say that they like to come here in spring to enjoy flowers, including magnolia lilacs and crabapple peonies. The believers in the temple are full of incense and incense, and there are volunteers distributing free Buddhist books. When I went there, I saw an old lady reading the scriptures aloud next to a main hall. There are also a few cats in the temple who are not afraid of people walking around. It is probably because there are always people feeding them. They are very cute.

Guangji Temple

Guangji Temple [Miaoying Temple (White Pagoda Temple)]

[Location and transportation] No. 171, Fuchengmen Inner Street, Xicheng District, exit B of Fuchengmen Station of Metro Line 2 and walk east for more than 800 meters, or walk west for a few hundred meters from Guangji Temple. There is a small parking lot next to the temple. There are not many tourists who can park (some people say that it will be changed to an internal parking lot after May Day), so it is not recommended to drive there.
【Opening hours】Closed on Monday, 9:00 to 16:30 all day from Tuesday to Sunday.
[Ticket information] 20 yuan, there are discounts and discounts for certificates, seniors, etc., and the first 200 visitors on Wednesday are free to visit.
[Buddhist temple history and ancient cultural relics] Miaoying Temple is a Gelugpa monastery of Tibetan Buddhism. It was first built in the Yuan Dynasty and was originally named "Dashengshou Wan'an Temple". The largest Lama Tower. In the eighth year of Ming Xuande (1433), Ming Xuanzong ordered the maintenance of the White Pagoda. In the first year of Tianshun (1457), the temple was rebuilt and named "Miaoying Temple" after completion. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the Republic of China, the temple was repaired many times. Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong both had rebuilt inscriptions inscribed by imperial pens. In 1900, the Eight-Power Allied Forces captured Beijing and rushed into Miaoying Temple to sweep away the ritual vessels and sacrificial vessels. In the middle and late Qing Dynasty, the monks rented out the auxiliary hall and open space, and gradually developed into one of the famous temple fairs in Beijing. Every year and festival, the place is very lively, so that "August 8th, walk the White Pagoda" was formed among the people in Beijing. "The custom.
【Travel Notes】
There are not many tourists in the temple. Except for the White Pagoda and a few stone statues, there is nothing to see. There is also an exhibition of Tibetan Buddhist statues. The White Tower is already inaccessible, so we can only walk a few times under the tower. There is an ancient catalpa tree in the north of the White Pagoda. It is the time to bloom and the flowers are flourishing. If you want to take pictures of the White Tower, it is suitable to take pictures in the surrounding alleys farther away. Some surrounding alleys are also very interesting: Qianchaoshou Hutong, Houchaoshou Hutong, North Trousers Corner Alley, South Trousers Corner Alley, Big Tea Alley, and Small Tea Alley.
After I came back, I checked the information again, and many texts said "Wuying Baitata Wuying", saying that the shadow of the White Pagoda is in Tibet. Especially after the Tangshan Earthquake in 1976, a large number of scriptures and other cultural relics were discovered during the repair of the White Pagoda. Buddha crown, "Paramita Heart Sutra" in Qianlong's handwriting, "Zunsheng Mantra" in Tibetan, bronze Buddha statues of the third generation, red gold relics and long-lived Buddhas, etc.

Miaoying Temple White Pagoda

White Pagoda of Miaoying Temple [Zhihua Temple]

[Location and Transportation] No. 5 Lumicang Hutong, Dongcheng District. It is inconvenient to drive there. After getting out of Exit C of Dengshikou Station of Metro Line 5, walk 1.3 kilometers.
【Opening Hours】Closed on Monday, 8:00 to 16:30 all day from Tuesday to Sunday, no admission at 16:00.
[Ticket Information] Zhihua Temple is affiliated to the Beijing Cultural and Museum Exchange Hall under the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics, and the ticket is 20 yuan. There are certificates, senior citizens and other discounts and free tickets, and the first 200 visitors on Wednesday can visit for free. Volunteers give explanations every day. If you can meet a very good explainer, you can talk for two hours.
[Buddhist Temple History] The predecessor of Zhihua Temple was the family temple of a great eunuch in the early Ming Dynasty. Later, the Qing Dynasty became a royal temple, and many ornaments inside can still vaguely see this period of history. The stone tablet in front of Tathagata Hall was originally engraved with documents about the great eunuch, but the text was scraped off because it was reported in the Qing Dynasty that eunuchs were not worthy of owning incense. In ancient times, the music of court etiquette could not be spread out of the palace gates. The birth of Beijing music also originated from the former eunuch's family temple. In addition, there is a Qianlong version of the "Tripitaka" scripture board preserved in Zhihua Temple, with a total of 724 letters, more than 7,240 volumes, and 1,675 Buddhist scriptures, weighing 400 tons. It is one of the only two Chinese scripture scripture boards in the world. , it can be called the best woodblock book in China. The caisson of Zhihua Temple is very famous among the caissons of the Ming Dynasty. Its craftsmanship is exquisite and its structure is complex. It is the best architectural woodcarving in the Ming Dynasty.
[Travel Notes] Although it is called Zhihua Temple, there are no monks or religious activities. Most of the tourists who come to visit come for the "Beijing music" originated from court etiquette. It is a living fossil of music that has lasted for more than 500 years. Continued by word of mouth. In addition to music, there are also particularly precious cultural relics here: the exquisite "Zhuan Sutra Collection", the treasures of murals in the Ming Dynasty (it is said to be comparable to the murals in Fahai Temple), the woodcarving art of Wanfo Pavilion (only the Bodhisattva in the main hall, see Not to mention the statues of Ten Thousand Buddhas on the attic, there are also three exquisite algae wells, but unfortunately only one can be seen, the other two were sold during the Republic of China and are now stored in two museums in the United States). Standing in the courtyard of the temple and looking to the north, it is the landmark building beside the East Second Ring Road - Galaxy SOHO, where young and old, traditional and modern meet inadvertently.

Zhihua Temple

Zhihua Temple【Tongjiao Temple】

[Location and transportation] No. 19, Zhenxian Hutong, Beixiao Street, Dongzhimen Nei, Dongcheng District. It is inconvenient to drive there. Walk 1.3 kilometers after exiting Exit B of Beixinqiao Station of Metro Line 5, or 900 meters after exiting Exit A of Metro Line 2.
[Opening hours] Monday to Sunday, 8:30 to 16:30 all day.
[Ticket Information] Free admission. Religious places, tourists can visit a small area, and there are notices that men are not allowed to enter.
[Buddhist temple history and ancient cultural relics] The history of Tongjiao Temple can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty. It was first established by an eunuch in the Ming Dynasty. In 1942, two Fujian bhikkhunis, Kaihui and Shengyu, lived in Guangci Temple in Beijing. They studied precepts and listened to scriptures in the Dharma Academy of Jinglian Temple. They decided to rebuild Tongjiao Temple and raised funds to renovate the main hall. Guantang, Daliao and other buildings were renamed "Tongjiao Temple". After the founding of New China, Tongjiao Temple has been strictly adhering to the Buddhist temple regulations, and the nuns live a religious life according to the law.
[Travel Notes] One of the few bhikkhuni Buddhist temples in Beijing is more like a Taoyuan hidden in the second ring road, where you can see the little luck of nun life everywhere. I once talked with a friend about temples. He felt that places with religious activities can be called temples, but my interest lies in history and cultural relics. Whether there are religious activities is not a criterion for judging whether it is worth visiting. However, the religious atmosphere of Tongjiao Temple really moved me. It is different from many noisy temples. Content about Buddhist activities.

Tongjiao Temple

Tongjiao Temple【Guanghua Temple】

[Location and transportation] No. 31 Houhaiyaer Hutong, Xicheng District, it is inconvenient to drive there. Walk 1.3 kilometers after exiting Exit B of Beixinqiao Station of Metro Line 5, or 900 meters after exiting Exit A of Metro Line 2. Guanghua Temple is located on the north shore of Shichahai Houhai, adjacent to Yinding Bridge in the east, and the former residence of Song Qingling in the west.
[Opening hours] Monday to Sunday, 8:00 to 15:00 all day.
[Ticket Information] Religious places, free of charge.
[Buddhist temple history and ancient cultural relics] The famous large-scale Buddhist temple in Beijing is also the seat of the Beijing Buddhist Association. Guanghua Temple was first built in the Yuan Dynasty, expanded several times during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and became the library of the capital at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China. In September 1952, Master Xuyun came to Beijing to stay at Xiguanghua Temple. At that time, Buddhist figures in Beijing, including Li Jishen, Ye Gongchuo, Chen Mingshu, Juzan and other Buddhists, came to pay homage to this Buddhist master and Zen eminent monk. Guanghua Temple was once prosperous.
[Travel Notes] There are many Buddhist activities here. On the first and fifteenth day of the lunar calendar, Guanghua Temple has religious activities. Every Saturday, the Beijing Buddhist Music Troupe has performances in Guanghua Temple. At the entrance of the main hall, booths are specially set up for believers to worship the Buddha. Every corner of the temple is full of people reading scriptures. There are vendors at the entrance selling loaches and small turtles for release. However, I personally feel that this place is too noisy and has a commercial atmosphere, which does not match the Buddhist pure land in my mind. Fortunately, the small courtyard of the Buddhist Culture Research Institute is a little quieter. You can see a stone tablet from the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty.

Guanghua Temple

Guanghua Temple【Xihuang Temple】

[Location and transportation] No. 11, Huangsi Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing, Anhuaqiao Station (Exit E) and Andli North Street Station (Exit D) of Line 8. The surrounding parking spaces are very limited and it is inconvenient to drive there.
【Opening hours】Closed from Monday to Friday, open to the public every Saturday and Sunday: (open at 9:00, stop admission at 16:00, close at 16:30).
[Ticket information] 20 yuan, there are discounts and reductions for certificates, seniors, etc. Tickets can be reserved on the website of Xihuang Temple Museum:
http://www.zyxgjfxy.cn/cn/zt/temple/ , there is no need to reserve tickets, you can take a look at the introduction of Xihuang Temple.
[Buddhist temple history and ancient cultural relics]
The Yellow Temple is actually two parts - Donghuang Temple and Xihuang Temple. Donghuang Temple has already disappeared in the waves of history. Some say it was destroyed by the invasion of the Eight-Power Allied Forces, and some say it was destroyed by the Japanese...There are different opinions, and there is no conclusion. As a former royal temple and later a high-level Buddhist academy of the Chinese Tibetan language department, Xihuang Temple was closed to the public for more than 300 years. Until it became the Xihuang Temple Museum in 2018, ordinary people could enter it. It integrates Tibetan, Han and Indian architectural arts, and can be called a treasure of Tibetan Buddhist royal temple architectural art.
Xihuang Temple, first built in the eighth year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1651), is a famous royal temple directly under the jurisdiction of the Qing Dynasty. The format is divided into three courtyards: the first courtyard building includes the Shanmen Hall, the Bell and Drum Tower, and the East and West Wing Buildings; the second courtyard building includes the Tianwang Hall, the Chuihua Gate, and the East and West Zen Rooms; the third courtyard building includes the Daxiong Hall, Qingjing Huacheng Pagoda, Qianlong Imperial Brush Stele Pavilion, East and West Zen Houses, and Huixiang Pavilion.
The Xihuang Temple Museum takes the nearly 300-year-old Qingjinghuacheng pagoda courtyard as the main body. The original display in the museum includes the Qingjinghuacheng Pagoda, the Qianlong Imperial Brush and Stone Inscription Pavilion, etc. The permanent exhibitions include the Sixth Panchen Lama Exhibition and the Tibetan Buddhist Three-Level Academic Title Exhibition , Qianlong Imperial Brush and Stone Inscription Exhibition, Qingjing Huacheng Pagoda Exhibition, etc. Temporary exhibitions include Thangka Exhibition, Buddhist Cultural Ceramics Exhibition, etc. The museum also holds pagoda cultural relics, ritual objects, Buddha statues, thangkas, and scriptures.
【Travel Notes】
I used to hear about Huangsi Street and thought it was just a place name, but it is not. After more than half a year of visiting temples, I gradually realized that the Dongxihuang Temple was a real temple that existed in history, and as a high-level royal temple, it has always maintained a secret mystery. In particular, Huangsi Street is now a place where the courtyards are concentrated, making it even more mysterious and unapproachable. I walked into this mysterious courtyard on a hot afternoon, the main entrance hall was being renovated, and there were not many tourists.
Against the clean blue sky, the Qingqing Purification City Tower looks whiter and taller. Only two huge stone tablets record the history that has never been recorded in history textbooks. I watched the exhibition about "Liangzhou Talks" carefully, and learned more about Tibet and the history of Tibetan Buddhism; I watched an exhibition about Thangka carefully. Because the gorgeous coloring seems so far away, it is not as realistic as the dusty old thangkas seen in other temples before.

Xihuang Temple