Fahai Temple

Fahai Temple is located at the foot of Cuiwei Mountain, which is at two kilometers to the north-east of Moshikou, Shijingshan District, in the Beijing City, China.

History

Fahai Temple started to be built in 4th year of Emperor Zhengtong of the Ming Dynasty and was completed in 8th year of Zhengtong .

Frescoes

The most distinguishing part of Fahai Temple is the Ming Dynasty frescoes. The total area of the frescoes is 236.7 square meters. Comparing with other famous frescoes in China, such as the Yongle Palace frescoes and the Dunhuang frescoes, Fahai Temple frescoes are at an even higher level in the depiction of figures, subtlety of patterns and the craft methods.

Additionally, these frescoes are extremely well-preserved, looking as complete as new. So the production and preservation method of Fahai Temple frescoes are at very high level.

Cultural Relics

* Bronze Bell

Donglin Temple

Donglin Temple is a monastery approximately 20km away from Jiujiang, Jiangxi, . It was built in 386 at the foot of Lushan by , founder of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.

The monastery reached its peak of influence during the Tang Dynasty, but was severely damaged during the Taiping Rebellion and all but destroyed during the period. It currently houses a small community of monks supported by a small farming village in its immediate vicinity.

Dafo Temple

The Dafo Temple is a famous Buddhist temple in Zhejiang and has a long history of more than 1000 years. This Temple is the symbol of the Xinchang prefecture and it attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year. Recently, the temple and its surroundings have often been used as a movie shooting area because of its exquisite natural beauty.

During the Cultural Revolution, locals covered the giant buddha statues in the temple with pictures of Mao Zedong to prevent the radical Red Guard from smashing the statues, which they were mandated to do so under the directive of "destroying all the old traditions".

Changchun Temple

The Beijing Changchun Temple is a
Buddhist temple in the of Beijing, China. The temple also houses the Xuanwu Cultural Museum.

History

The temple was first built by the Wanli emperor's mother during the the Ming Dynasty in 1592. in 1679, the temple was heavily damaged in an earthquake, and was never really restored to its former glory, and later became a storage space for coffins. Following the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949, the temple was transformed into housing. In 2001, the temple was put under cultural protection and went through an extensive renovation costing nearly 200 million RMB. In 2005 the temple reopened as the Xuanwu cultural museum.

Layout

The temple is organized around one main courtyard which contains three halls. Adjoining the temple is the Xuanwu Municipal Bureau of Tourism.

Location

The temple is located at 9 Changchun Jie in Xuanwu district, Beijing.

Zunsheng Temple

Zunsheng Temple is located in Huyangling, 20 kilometers northeast of Wutai County.

It was founded in Tang Dynasty and was initially called "Shan Zhu Ge Yuan" . It was rebuilt in Tiansheng 4th year, , and named "Zhen Rong Chan Yuan" . After renovation in Wanli 19th year of Ming Dynasty, it was named "Zunsheng Temple". And it was partly renovated in Tongzhi 7th year, Qing Dynasty. The stele erected in Kangxi 24th year of Qing Dynasty recorded the history of the temple. Its current appearance reflected the renovation during the period of the Republic of China.

It has a land area of more than 32,000 square meters.

Zhihua Si Temple

The Zhihua Si Temple is a Ming Dynasty-era temple in Beijing, China. It is located in the Lumicang ''hutong'', in the Chaoyangmen area of the , within the to the north of Jinbaojie Street, west of the Yabaolu area. The temple was built in 1443 at the order of , a powerful eunuch in the Rites Supervising Office of the court of the Zhengtong Emperor ..

The temple, surrounding buildings, and grounds comprise approximately 20 thousand square meters. It is one of the most important original building complexes from the Ming Dynasty period in the Old City area, and one of the only wooden structures and groups of buildings from the Ming Dynasty to remain intact in Beijing. It is also striking for its extensive use of black roof tiles. The Beijing Cultural Exchange Museum, established in November 1992, is located in the temple compound; its principal aim is "as a centre for developing cultural exchange and for developing the study of cultural relics and museums."

At the temple, a group of musicians regularly performs centuries-old ritual music which has been handed down over 27 generations. The six-member group is led by the octogenarian Buddhist monk Zhang Benxing , the only surviving member of the 26th generation of musicians, and the last person to have learned the music in the traditional manner. In addition to singing voices, the instruments used include '''' , ''dizi'' , '''' , ''yunluo'' , and percussion including drums and cymbals.

The Zhihua Si Temple became a nationally preserved cultural and historic relic in 1961. In 2005 the Chinese government undertook a renovation of the temple in preparation for the numerous international visitors expected at the time of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Discography

*''Buddhist Music of the Ming Dynasty'' . JVC.

Zhenjue Temple

The Zhen Jue Temple , located near the Beijing Zoo, lies on the north bank of the Changhe River near the White Stone Bridge in Haidian District of Beijing. The temple was first built during the Yuan Dynasty and later reconstructed during the Ming Dynasty.

The distinctive tower in the Zhenjue Temple is also commonly called "Wutashita" . The tower stands of 17 meters tall, and consists of many pedestals and five surrounding towers. The temple is also known by the locals as "Five Pagoda Temple" or , as referring to its grand five pagodas.