The Chinese “Tanzhe Si” literally means “Temple of Pool and Zhe Tree”, now popularly known as Tanzhe Temple in English. There used to be a pool behind the temple and a lot of Zhe trees ( a kind of wild mulberry trees ) on the mountains nearby, hence the name of Tanzhe Temple.
People often use a cliche to describe the long history of Tanzhe Temple – “First came Tanzhe Temple, then Beijing.” which was first built in 307 AD in Western Jin Dynasty ( 265 – 316 AD). Its name was changed again and again through Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. After its and repair and expansion in 1692, the hotel was renamed “Xiuyun Temple and has remained till today. But it is popularly referred as Tanzhe Temple due to the dragon pool behing the temple and the Zhe trees on the nearby mountains.
More than just a famous buddhist temple in China, Tanzhe Temple is also well known for its grandiur Chinese architecture and green plants. The temple compound is well arranged along an axis, which is said to have provided a model for the layout of the Forbidden City.
The temple is perched on a hillside surrounded by nine peaks and composed of various prayer halls, pavilions, courtyards and a group of pagodas dating from the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. It was an imperial temple with high status.
Beijing’s Tanzhe Temple enjoyed royal patronage since it became a favourite the empress dowager of the Wanli emperor Madame Li during the Ming Dynasty.
The main temple complex is on several levels up the side of a steep mountain, with a hall devoted to a different deity at each level, along with the ubiquitous array of josh sticks and incense burners.
Here visitors from fervent believers to Beijing businessmen can purchase incense coils of varying sizes and prices, depending the length of time one needs blessing, from 10 RMB for a day to 500 RMB for a month!
Entrance Fee: RMB 55 per Person
Tel: 60862500
How to get there:
By Public Transport:
Take subway line 1 and get off the most western station – Pingguoyuan, then connect public bus 931 for Tanzhe Temple.
Bus runs daily 7am-5:30pm, about every 30 minutes. The bus ride time is about 1 hour.