Fayuan Temple

The Fayuan Temple

Bronze sculptures at one of its entrances

The Fayuan Temple (Chinese: 法源寺; pinyin: Fǎyuán Sì), situated in the southwest quarter of central Beijing, is one of the city's most renowned Buddhist temples.

History

The temple was first built in 645 during the Tang dynasty by Li Shimin (Emperor Taizong),^[1] and later rebuilt in the Zhengtong era (1436–1449) of the Ming dynasty. The temple occupies an area of 6,700 square meters. The temple also contains a large number of cultural relics, including sculptures of ancient bronzes, stone lions, as well as gilded figures of the three Buddhas. The temple also features large number of Buddhist texts from the Ming and Qing dynasties.^[2]

Structure

It has a compact overall arrangement and buildings are arranged along the medial axis symmetrically. Main buildings there include the Gate of Temple, Heavenly King Hall, Main Hall, Hall of Great Compassion, Sutra Hall, and Bell and Drum Towers.

On both sides of the Gate of Temple stand the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower respectively. The Main Hall, which is magnificent and sacred, houses Statues of Flower Adornment School's three saints: Vairocana, Manjusri, and Samantabhadra. The Hall of Great Compassion houses statues, carved stones, and artistic masterpieces. Among these statues there stand some of the most valuable statues in ancient China - Pottery Statue of Sitting Buddha of the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220), Pottery-bottle Statue of Buddha of the Eastern Wu dynasty (229-280), Stone Statue of Buddha of the Tang dynasty (618-907), and Steel-cast Statue of Guanyin.

Taiwanese writer Li Ao, who published a novel: "Martyrs' Shrine: The Story of the Reform Movement of 1898 in China" (another name is called "Fayuan Temple"), is about the beginning and the failure of the Hundred Days' Reform in the late Qing dynasty. He won the nomination of Nobel Prize in Literature.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fayuan Temple.

Notable Buddhist temples in Beijing

Badachu Bailin Temple Big Bell Temple Changchun Temple Cheng'en Temple Dahui Temple Dajue Temple Fahai Temple Fayuan Temple Guanghua Temple Guangji Temple Hongluo Temple Jietai Temple Miaoying Temple Tanzhe Temple Temple of Azure Clouds Tianning Temple Wanshou Temple Wofo Temple Xifeng Temple Yonghe Temple Yunju Temple Zhenjue Temple Zhihua Temple

Old city of Beijing

Subdivisions	Inner City Outer City Imperial City Forbidden City

Fortifications and towers	Yongdingmen Gate Zhengyangmen Gate Zhonghuamen Tiananmen Gate Deshengmen Gate Bell and Drum towers

Forbidden City	Meridian Gate Gate of Supreme Harmony Hall of Mental Cultivation Hall of Supreme Harmony Hall of Central Harmony Hall of Preserving Harmony Palace of Heavenly Purity Hall of Union Palace of Earthly Tranquility Gate of Divine Might

Imperial gardens, temples and offices	Jingshan Park Beihai Park Zhongnanhai Taimiao (Imperial Ancestral Temple) Zhongshan Park Confucius Temple Guozijian Beijing Ancient Observatory Beijing Zoo Old Summer Palace Summer Palace Fragrant Hills Jade Spring Hill Temple of Heaven Temple of Earth Temple of the Sun Temple of the Moon Xiannongtan (Temple of Agriculture)

Temples and gardens	Shichahai Yonghe Temple Fayuan Temple White Cloud Temple Zhenjue Temple Miaoying Temple Wanshou Temple Temple of Azure Clouds Badachu Dongyue Temple Guanghua Temple Tanzhe Temple Wofo Temple Big Bell Temple Bailin Temple Guangji Temple Fahai Temple Changchun Temple Zhihua Temple Yunju Temple Tianning Temple

Mosques and churches	Xuanwumen Cathedral Xishiku Cathedral Xizhimen Cathedral Wangfujing Cathedral St. Michael's Church Niujie Mosque

Coordinates: 39°53′02″N 116°21′49″E / 39.88389°N 116.36361°E / 39.88389; 116.36361

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