Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Fahai Temple
法海寺
, fǎhǎi sì • Daily 9am-5pm •
￥
20 •
￥
15 by taxi from Pingguoyuan subway (line 1)
Though its exterior is unremarkable,
Fahai Temple
, roughly 25km west of the capital, is
worth a visit for its beautiful, richly detailed Buddhist frescoes. The halls where the frescoes
are painted are rather dark, so you're issued with a small torch at the entrance, but if you've
got a decent one of your own then take it along. The lively, expressive images, painted in
the 1440s, depict the pantheon of Buddhist deities travelling for a meeting. Look out for the
elegant god of music, Sarasvati, whose swaying form seems appropriately melodic, and the
maternal-looking god of children, Haritidem, with her attendant babies. There are plenty of
animals, too; as well as the rather dog-like lions, look out for the six-tusked elephant - each
tusk represents a quality required for the attainment of enlightenment.
Tanzhe Temple and Jietai Temple
Due west of Beijing, two splendid temples sit in the wooded country outside the industrial
zone that rings the city. Though the
Tanzhe
and
Jietaitemples
are relatively little visited by
tourists, foreign residents rate them as among the best places to escape the city smoke. Get-
ting there and back can be time-consuming, so take a picnic and take the day to enjoy the
clean air, peace and solitude in the wooded hills.
Tanzhe Temple
潭柘寺
, tánzhé sì • Daily 8am-5pm •
￥
55 (
￥
85 combined ticket with Jietai Temple)
About 40km west of Beijing,
Tanzhe Temple
has the most beautiful and serene location of
any temple near the city. It's also one of the oldest, having been constructed during the Jin
dynasty (265-420 AD), and one of the largest too. The temple is formed from a number of
different shrines, all of them accessed by following the labyrinth of alleyways and steps lead-
ing up the hillside. The air is crisp and fragrant, punctuated with billows of incense. Although
there are no longer any monks living or working at the temple, it once housed a thriving mon-
astic community. These days, a terrace of stupas provides the final resting place for a number
of eminent monks.
Wandering through the complex, past said stupas, you reach an enormous central courtyard,
with an ancient, towering gingko tree that's over a thousand years old (christened the “King
of Trees” by Emperor Qianlong) at its heart. Across the courtyard, a second, smaller gingko,
known as “The Emperor's Wife”, was once supposed to produce a new branch every time a
new emperor was born. From here you can take in the other buildings, arrayed on different
levels up the hillside, or look around the lush gardens, whose bamboo is supposed to cure all
manner of ailments. Back at the entrance, the spiky
zhe
trees nearby (
Cudrania tricuspidata
,
