The Seven Star Buddhist Temple Ruins are located in Huolashan Village, Qigexing Town, Yanqi Hui Autonomous County, Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. They are a National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit and a national 4A-level tourist attraction. Leaning against the Huola Mountains and facing the Kaidu River, the ruins cover a total area of about 120,000 square meters, consisting of the monastery area, monk quarters area, pagoda base area, etc. There are 11 existing pagodas, 89 monk quarters, and 10 caves, making it the largest and best-preserved Buddhist ruins complex in the Yanqi region, demonstrating the prosperous Buddhist culture of Yanqi from the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty. The architecture of the ruins integrates the Han-style of central plains, Indian Gandhara, and local ethnic architectural styles, with extremely high historical, artistic, and scientific values.
Historical Culture
The Seven Star Buddhist Temple Ruins were first built in the Northern and Southern Dynasties and flourished in the Tang Dynasty, being one of the Buddhist centers of the ancient Yanqi Kingdom. As an important city-state on the Silk Road, Yanqi was once a key node for Buddhism to spread eastward, and the ruins witnessed the exchange and integration of Central Plains Buddhism and Western Regions Buddhism. A large number of Buddhist relics have been unearthed from the ruins, such as clay Buddha statue fragments, mural fragments, Buddhist scripture manuscripts, etc., among which the fragments of the Tang Dynasty "Mahaparinirvana Sutra" are particularly precious. According to historical records, the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang passed through Yanqi when traveling west to seek scriptures, and the description of Yanqi's Buddhist prosperity in his "Great Tang Records on the Western Regions" mutually confirms with the archaeological discoveries of the ruins, providing physical materials for the study of the history of Western Regions Buddhism and cultural exchanges on the Silk Road.
The decline of the ruins was related to the introduction of Islam into the Western Regions, and it gradually fell into disuse after the Song and Yuan Dynasties. In the early 20th century, the ruins were excavated by foreign expeditions, and some cultural relics were lost overseas. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the government has carried out multiple archaeological investigations and protective repairs on the ruins, which are currently listed in the preliminary list of the World Cultural Heritage "Silk Road: Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor's Network".
Main Attractions
Central Monastery Ruins
Located in the core area of the ruins, it is a square courtyard-style building with a side length of about 150 meters, composed of a Buddha hall, pagoda base, and monk quarters. The central Buddha hall ruins retain a rammed earth platform base about 3 meters high, with column holes distributed around the platform base, indicating the scale of the original wooden structure building. Clay Buddha heads and colored mural fragments were once unearthed in the Buddha hall, with the mural content mainly based on Buddhist stories, bright in color and smooth in lines.
Southeast Pagoda Group
Consisting of 5 pagodas arranged east-west with a spacing of about 20-30 meters. The pagodas are all built of rammed earth, square in plane, with a residual height of 3-6 meters and collapsed tops. One of the pagodas has a bottom side length of about 8 meters, with obvious layered masonry traces on the tower body, and red pottery fragments, Buddha statue fragments, and other relics are scattered around the pagoda base.
Grotto Temple Ruins
Located on the cliff northwest of the monastery ruins, there are 10 existing caves, divided into two categories: monk cave dwellings and worship caves. The cave shapes are diverse, including square caves, circular caves, etc., and some caves retain mural and altar remains. The No. 5 cave is relatively well-preserved, with Bodhisattva murals on the inner walls of the cave. Although faded, the outlines are clear, showing the Buddhist art style of the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions.
Monk Quarters Ruins Area
Distributed around the monastery ruins, there are 89 existing monk quarters ruins, mostly semi-crypt buildings, rectangular in plane, with an area of about 8-15 square meters. The monk quarters have living facilities such as earthen kang and stove sites, and some monk quarters are connected by passages, showing a complete living layout and reflecting the daily life scenes of ancient monks.
Delicacies
Yanqi Cold Noodles
Yanqi cold noodles are a local specialty made from potato starch. The noodles are as thin as paper and smooth in taste, paired with secret vinegar sauce, chili oil, sesame paste, and other seasonings, moderately sweet, sour, and spicy. They are sold in restaurants in Qigexing Town around the ruins. It is recommended to visit "Lao Ma Cold Noodles Shop", about 5 kilometers from the ruins, where the noodles are made daily, and the seasoning recipe has been passed down for three generations.
Roasted Baozi
Using Yanqi black-headed mutton, seasoned with onions, pepper, etc., wrapped in dough and baked on the wall of a naan pit. The roasted buns have a crispy outer skin, tender and juicy mutton filling, oily but not greasy. Authentic roasted buns can be tasted in the farmhouses of Huolashan Village near the ruins, with an average consumption of about 15 yuan per bun.
Big Plate Chicken
Yanqi big plate chicken uses free-range local chickens along the Kaidu River as raw materials, cooked with potatoes and belt noodles. The chicken is tender and flavorful, the potatoes are soft, and the belt noodles are chewy after absorbing the soup. The "Western Big Plate Chicken" restaurant, 10 kilometers from the ruins towards the county seat, is a local time-honored brand with large portions and affordable prices. The small portion is about 88 yuan, suitable for 2-3 people.
Tickets
The ticket price is 30 yuan per person. As of 2025-06-05, no official WeChat public account has been found.
Opening Hours
Open throughout the year, 10:00-18:00 daily (10:30-17:30 in winter). As the ruins are open-air cultural relics areas, they will be temporarily closed in case of severe weather such as strong winds and heavy rains.
Tour Route
The recommended visiting time is 2-3 hours. Start visiting the Central Monastery Ruins from the entrance to understand the layout and architectural structure of the monastery; then go to the Southeast Pagoda Group to observe the shape of the pagodas and rammed earth craftsmanship; then walk to the Grotto Temple Ruins to climb the cliff and visit the cave murals; finally, tour the Monk Quarters Ruins Area to experience the living scenes of ancient monks. When visiting, you can walk along the wooden plank road in the ruins. The plank road is about 1.2 kilometers long and is equipped with 5 interpretation boards, which introduce the history and cultural relic values of the ruins in detail.
Transportation
- Self-driving: Starting from Yanqi County Seat, drive about 25 kilometers northwest along G218 National Highway, turn into Township Road Y418, and move forward 5 kilometers to arrive. There is a free parking lot at the entrance of the ruins, which can park 20 small cars.
- Chartered car: The taxi from Yanqi County Seat to the ruins is about 60 yuan one way, and the one-day chartered tour (including the ruins and Bosten Lake) is about 200 yuan.
- Tourist special line: During the peak season (May-October), Yanqi Bus Station has tourist special line buses to Qigexing Town, departing at 10:00 daily, with a fare of 15 yuan. After getting off, you need to walk 1.5 kilometers to reach the ruins.
Must-See Attractions
- Central Monastery Ruins: The core area of the ruins, preserving the Tang Dynasty Buddha hall platform base and mural fragments, is a key attraction to understand the layout of Buddhist monasteries.
- No. 5 Cave of the Grotto Temple: The existing murals are relatively clear, showing the Buddhist art style of the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions, and are important objects for studying Buddhist painting.
- Southeast Pagoda Group: Five Tang Dynasty pagodas are arranged in order, with typical rammed earth construction techniques, allowing an intuitive feeling of the architectural characteristics of ancient pagodas.
Tour Tips
- Carry a sun hat and sunscreen. Xinjiang has strong ultraviolet rays and high summer temperatures, so sun protection measures are needed.
- Wear non-slip shoes. The grotto temple area requires climbing, and the plank road steps are steep. Pay attention to walking safety.
- Check the Buddhist culture materials of the Silk Road in advance, or get a free guide map at the entrance to facilitate understanding the historical background of the ruins.
- During the peak season (June-August), the light is soft from 10-12 am and 16-18 pm, suitable for shooting the panoramic view of the ruins and mural details.
Notes
- Climbing on pagodas and monk quarters ruins is strictly prohibited, and no scratching or writing on the ruins is allowed to protect the cultural relics body.
- There are no selling points in the ruins. Bring your own drinking water and snacks, and put garbage into the designated trash cans.
- Take off your shoes when entering the grotto temple to avoid damaging the murals with sand and soil on the soles. Using flashlights for photography is prohibited in the caves.
- Respect local religious beliefs and customs. The area around the ruins is a community of ethnic minorities. Avoid discussing sensitive topics.
- Keep warm when visiting in winter. The ruins are located in a valley with strong wind. It is recommended to wear windproof clothing.