Tanzhe Temple is located at the foot of Tanzhe Mountain in Mentougou District, Beijing. It is a National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit and a 4A-level tourist attraction. The temple was first built in the 1st year of Yongjia in the Western Jin Dynasty (307 AD), making it the oldest existing Buddhist temple in the Beijing area. Folklore has it that "first there was Tanzhe Temple, then there was Beijing City." Tanzhe Temple is characterized by ancient buildings, old trees, and Buddhist pagodas. The temple covers an area of about 12.1 hectares, with a construction area of about 12,000 square meters, and has 943 halls and rooms, including 285 Ming Dynasty buildings and 588 Qing Dynasty buildings, making it one of the largest groups of Ming Dynasty ancient buildings in Beijing. The temple leans against Baozhu Peak, surrounded by nine mountains, forming a geographical pattern of "Nine Dragons Playing with a Pearl," where natural landscapes and cultural landscapes complement each other.
History and Culture
Tanzhe Temple has a long history and profound cultural heritage. It was originally named "Jiafu Temple," changed to "Longquan Temple" in the Tang Dynasty, given the imperial name "Dawanshou Temple" in the Jin Dynasty, renamed "Miaoyan Temple" in the Yuan Dynasty, restored to "Jiafu Temple" in the Ming Dynasty, and given the name "Xiuyun Chan Temple" by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, which has been used ever since. The temple was expanded in the Liao, Jin, and Yuan dynasties, reached its peak in the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Di, the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, once built an altar here to receive precepts. Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty visited the temple many times, leaving behind a large number of imperial inscriptions and cultural relics.
The temple preserves a large number of historical relics, such as the Liao Dynasty stone Sarira Pagoda, Jin Dynasty stone lamp post, Ming Dynasty bronze-cast Three Buddhas, and Qing Dynasty wooden Buddha statues. Among them, the Liao Dynasty Sarira Pagoda is located in the Jingang Yanshou Pagoda Courtyard, 15 meters high, an octagonal thirteen-story dense-eave solid pagoda with exquisite carvings on the body. The Ming Dynasty bronze Buddha is 2.9 meters high and weighs 4,000 kilograms, one of the largest existing Ming Dynasty bronze Buddhas in the Beijing area. In addition, there are two ancient ginkgo trees in the temple with a tree age of more than 1,300 years, named "Emperor Tree" and "Queen Tree" by Emperor Qianlong, which are among the oldest ginkgoes in Beijing.
Tanzhe Temple holds an important position in the history of Buddhism. It is one of the centers for the spread of Buddhism in the Beijing area, with many eminent monks emerging in successive dynasties. Eminent monks such as Master Huayan of the Tang Dynasty, Master Haiyun of the Jin Dynasty, and Master Fuyu of the Yuan Dynasty have all propagated the Dharma here. The temple is also an important royal Buddhist activity place, where many major religious ceremonies and royal celebrations are held, forming a unique royal Buddhist culture.
Main Attractions
Hall of Heavenly Kings
The Hall of Heavenly Kings is the mountain gate hall of Tanzhe Temple, first built in the Ming Dynasty. It enshrines the Maitreya Buddha and the Four Heavenly Kings. The Maitreya Buddha statue is 1.9 meters high, with a smiling face. The Four Heavenly Kings statues are each 2.5 meters high, holding magic weapons, with a dignified demeanor. The plaque "Hall of Heavenly Kings" hanging under the hall eaves is inscribed by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty.
Mahavira Hall
The Mahavira Hall is the core building of Tanzhe Temple, first built in the Liao Dynasty, and the existing building was reconstructed in the Qing Dynasty. The hall is 15.7 meters high, five bays wide and four bays deep, one of the largest existing Ming Dynasty buildings in the Beijing area. It enshrines Sakyamuni Buddha, Medicine Buddha, and Amitabha Buddha, with the Buddha statues 3.2 meters high, dignified and solemn. The hall roof is a yellow glazed tile Xieshan roof, decorated with brackets and color paintings under the eaves. The plaque "Fuhai Zhulun" hanging in the hall is inscribed by Emperor Qianlong.
Emperor Tree
The Emperor Tree is an ancient ginkgo tree with a tree age of more than 1,300 years, located on the east side of the Mahavira Hall, 24 meters high, with a chest diameter of 1.2 meters, requiring six people to embrace. This tree is a male ginkgo that never bears fruit. When Emperor Qianlong visited the temple, he named it the "Emperor Tree," one of the most famous ancient trees in the Beijing area. Opposite the Emperor Tree on the west side is a female ginkgo called the "Queen Tree," about 800 years old, 20 meters high, with a chest diameter of 0.8 meters, bearing abundant fruits every autumn.
Jingang Yanshou Pagoda
The Jingang Yanshou Pagoda is located on the northwest side of the temple, first built during the Xianyong period of the Liao Dynasty (1065-1074). It is an octagonal thirteen-story dense-eave stone pagoda, 15 meters high. Each side of the pagoda body is carved with Buddha statues, Bodhisattva statues, and Buddhist stories, and the base is surrounded by carvings of lotus flowers and auspicious animals. It is one of the earliest existing dense-eave stone pagodas in the Beijing area, with high historical and artistic value.
Tanzhe Temple Pagoda Forest
The Tanzhe Temple Pagoda Forest is located on the west side of the temple, one of the largest pagoda forests in the Beijing area, with 72 tomb pagodas of eminent monks from past dynasties, including 1 Yuan Dynasty pagoda, 28 Ming Dynasty pagodas, and 43 Qing Dynasty pagodas. The pagoda forest is neatly arranged with various shapes, including dense-eave style, bowl-overturned style, and pavilion style, with exquisite carvings on the pagoda bodies. It is an important physical material for studying the Buddhist pagoda burial system in ancient China.
Food
Tanzhe Vegetarian Cuisine
Tanzhe Temple's vegetarian cuisine has a long history, characterized by lightness and health preservation. Ingredients are selected from fresh local vegetables, fungi, and soy products, prepared using traditional cooking techniques. Recommended dishes include "Tanzhe Three Treasures" (vegetarian abalone, vegetarian sea cucumber, vegetarian shark fin), Arhat Vegetarian, and Toon Salad with Tofu. Among them, Arhat Vegetarian is cooked with 18 kinds of vegetables and fungi, rich in nutrition. Toon Salad with Tofu uses toon produced in the temple, fresh and refreshing, a special dish in spring. The vegetarian cuisine is moderately priced, with an average consumption of about 50-80 yuan per person.
Mentougou Specialty Food
There are many Mentougou specialty foods around Tanzhe Temple, such as Mentougou Jingbai Pear, Miaofeng Mountain Rose Cake, and Zhaitang Reservoir Fish. Jingbai Pear is a specialty of Mentougou, with thin skin, thick flesh, and sweet juice, available in September every year. Rose Cake is made from Miaofeng Mountain roses, sweet and delicious, with the effect of beauty and skincare. Zhaitang Reservoir Fish has tender meat and can be made into various flavors such as Kua Dun Fish, with an average consumption of about 60-100 yuan per person.
Tickets
The ticket price is 50 yuan per person.
You can search for the official WeChat public account "潭柘寺风景区" on WeChat to get the latest updates or purchase tickets online.
Opening Hours
Tanzhe Temple is open throughout the year from 8:00 to 17:00 (admission stops at 16:30). During legal holidays and peak tourist seasons (April-October), the opening hours are extended to 17:30 (admission stops at 17:00). On the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month and Buddhist festivals every year, the temple opens at 6:00 in advance, and the specific time is subject to the announcement of the scenic area.
Tour Route
Recommended tour route: Mountain Gate → Hall of Heavenly Kings → Mahavira Hall → Three Saints Hall → Pilu Pavilion → Emperor Tree → Queen Tree → Jingang Yanshou Pagoda → Guanyin Hall → Tanzhe Pagoda Forest → Exit. This route covers the main buildings and attractions of the temple, with a total distance of about 2.5 kilometers and a walking time of about 2-3 hours. If you have limited physical strength, you can take a sightseeing bus from the mountain gate to Pilu Pavilion and then walk to visit other attractions, with a total time of about 1.5 hours. In spring, you can focus on admiring magnolias and lilacs, and in autumn, you can enjoy ginkgoes and red leaves.
Transportation
- Bus: Take Subway Line 1 to Pingguoyuan Station, transfer to Bus No. 931 or M29, get off at Tanzhe Temple Station, and walk about 500 meters to arrive. Or take the tourist shuttle bus (Pingguoyuan Subway Station to Tanzhe Temple), which departs from 8:00 to 16:00 daily, once an hour, with a fare of 10 yuan per person.
- Self-driving: Starting from the urban area, you can go via Fushi Road, Lianshi Road, or the West 6th Ring Road, drive along Tanzhe Temple Road, and follow the road signs to arrive. The temple parking lot covers an area of about 20,000 square meters, which can park more than 500 vehicles, with a charge of 10 yuan per vehicle.
Must-visit Attractions
- Mahavira Hall: One of the largest Ming Dynasty buildings in the Beijing area, 15.7 meters high, enshrining the Three Buddhas. The yellow glazed tile roof and painted brackets complement each other, with the imperial plaque "Fuhai Zhulun" by Emperor Qianlong hanging in the center.
- Emperor Tree: An ancient ginkgo tree with a tree age of more than 1,300 years, 24 meters high, chest diameter 1.2 meters, one of the oldest ginkgoes in Beijing. In autumn, the tree is covered with yellow leaves, like an emperor in armor, a landmark landscape of Tanzhe Temple.
- Jingang Yanshou Pagoda: A Liao Dynasty dense-eave stone pagoda, 15 meters high, with more than 40 Buddha and Bodhisattva statues carved on the body, an important physical object for studying Liao Dynasty Buddhist art.
- Tanzhe Pagoda Forest: One of the largest pagoda forests in Beijing, with 72 tomb pagodas of eminent monks, covering the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The pagodas have various shapes and exquisite carvings, a microcosm of Buddhist pagoda burial culture.
Tour Tips
- It is recommended to visit in spring (April) or autumn (October). In spring, you can admire white magnolias and purple lilacs; in autumn, you can enjoy ginkgo yellow leaves and red leaves, with the best scenery.
- Wear comfortable sports shoes. The temple has many steps and mountain roads, with a large walking amount, about 2-3 kilometers in total.
- You can make an appointment to buy tickets in advance through the WeChat public account "Beijing Tanzhe Temple" to avoid queuing during holidays. If you want to taste vegetarian food, it is recommended to go between 11:00 and 13:00 to avoid peak hours.
- Bring drinking water and a small amount of snacks. There are rest areas inside and outside the temple, but there are few dining points. Pay attention to sun protection in summer and keep warm in winter. The temperature in the mountain area is 3-5°C lower than in the urban area.
Notes
- Keep quiet when entering the temple, respect Buddhist customs, and do not touch cultural relics such as Buddha statues and Dharma instruments at will.
- Smoking and littering are prohibited in the temple. Take care of ancient trees and flowers, and do not climb or break branches or pick fruits.
- Take off your hat and sunglasses when visiting the Buddha hall. Photography and video recording are prohibited. Some areas (such as the pagoda forest and monk quarters) are non-open areas, please do not enter without permission.
- Observe order when taking the sightseeing bus and take good care of your personal belongings. Self-driving vehicles should be parked as specified to avoid blocking the passage.
- In case of rain or snow, the mountain roads are slippery, so pay attention to anti-slip. The scenic area has a medical room (010-60862505), and you can seek help in time if you feel unwell.