Beijing, Dec. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- In China, it is a tradition to go to temple fairs during the Chinese Spring Festival. People go there to pray for the upcoming new year. Beijing, as the culture capital of China, has a great number of temples for people to burn incense and worship the gods.
Yonghe Lama Temple
Located in the northeast of downtown Beijing, Yonghe Lama Temple is the largest and best-preserved lamasery in Beijing. Built in 1694 in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the temple was originally the official residence for court eunuchs in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Later it was used as the royal mansion of Prince Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty. During the 9th year of the reign of the Emperor Qianlong, Yonghe Temple was rebuilt as a Lama Temple. Covering an area of 66,400 square meters, Yonghe Lama Temple was built as a mini-royal-palace with yellow glazed tiles and red walls.
The resplendent architectural complex designed in the royal style makes it distinctive from other temples.
Chinese name: Yonghe Gong (雍和宮)
Admission fee: 25 yuan
Transportation: take bus No.13, 116, 117, 684, subway line 2 or subway line 5 and get off at Yonghegong (Yonghe Lama Temple).
Tanzhe Temple
Located at the foot of Tanzhe Mountain in Mentougou district, Tanzhe Temple is one of the well known Buddhist temples in Beijing.
The temple was built along the mountain contours. Most buildings in the temple were built in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. There are also many pagodas from various dynasties such as the Jin (1115–1234) and Yuan (1279–1368).
Near the hall of the Three Sages, visitors can find two "Emperor Trees" which were planted during the Liao Dynasty (916–1125). All the imposing buildings are built along the central axis. The archway, front gate, Deveraja Hall, Mahavira Hall and Vairochana Pavilion are located in reasonably good order.
Chinese name: Tanzhe Si (Tanzhe Temple)
Admission fee: 55 yuan
Transportation: take bus No.931 and get off at Tanzhe Si (Tanzhe Temple).
Sleeping Buddha Temple
Located at the foot of the Shouniu Mountain between the Old Summer Palace and Fragrant Hills Park in Beijing's western region, Sleeping Buddha Temple is a classical Buddhist temple complex.
Located only 30 kilometers to the center of Beijing, the temple is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Beijing, together with the Old Summer Palace, Fragrant Hills Park and the Temple of the Azure Clouds.
The Sleeping Buddha Temple is composed of three courtyards which are distributed along a central axis. The main buildings include the front gate, the Hall of the Four Heavenly Kings, the Hall of Three Boddhisattvas, the Hall of Sleeping Buddha itself, and the Repository of Buddhist Scriptures.
Chinese name: Wofo Si (臥佛寺)
Admission fee: 5 yuan
Transportation: take bus No.331, 505, 563, 630, 696 or Yuntong 112 and get off at Wofo Si (Sleeping Buddha Temple).
Baiyun Temple
Located in southwestern Beijing, Baiyun Temple (literally White Cloud Temple), is the largest Taoist architectural complex in Beijing and was the center of Longmen sect of Taoism.
Originally, it was built in memory of Qiu Chuji, a Taoist priest who established the Longmen sect of Taoism and one of the seven disciples of Wang Chongyang, the father of Quanzhen Daoism. The construction was built along a central axis. The major hall is the Hall of Patriarch Qiu, which was built to worship Qiu Chuji.
Visitors can also find a stele written with the inscription of the Emperor Qianlong, which records the history of the temple and the life story of Qiu Chuji.
Chinese name: Baiyun Si (白雲寺)
Admission fee: 10 yuan
Transportation: take bus 26, 45, 319 or 717 and get off at Baiyunguan Station.
Hongluo Temple
Located in Huairou district, Hongluo Temple is a sacred place of Buddhism of various dynasties. First built in Eastern Jin Dynasty (317–420), the temple is the largest Buddhist temple in northern China.
It has been renovated and enlarged several times in history. It was frequently visited by many Chinese emperors and monks. The Hongluo Mountain lies to the north of the temple and the Hongluo Lake is located to the south of the temple.
The Hongluo Temple is composed of five courtyards arranged along the central axis. The major buildings include the Hall of Heavenly Kings, Mahavira Hall and the Meditation Room.
Chinese name: Hongluo Si (紅螺寺)
Admission fee: 30 yuan
Transportation: take bus No.936 (branch) and get off at Hongluosi (Hongluo Temple).
Yunju Temple
Located at the foot of Baidai Mountain in Fangshan district, Yunju Temple is a famous ancient temple in Beijing. Built in the late Sui (581-618) and early Tang (618-907) dynasties, it is famous for the stone slabs that carved with the Buddhist scriptures known as the Tripitaka.
The nine caves of Buddhist scriptures which treasures vast number of stone scriptures, paper scriptures and wooden scriptures are regarded as the Three Treasures in the temple.
Chinese name: Yunju Si (雲居寺)
Admission fee: 40 yuan
Transportation: take bus No.917 and get off at Yunju Si (Yunju Temple).