Beijing Buddhist Temples, Beijing Catholic & Chritian Church, Beijing Taoist Temples, Beijing Mosques.

 

China is a country with religious freedom and respects every religion. Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Christianity are religions practiced in Beijing. Religious activities are carried out in Buddhist temples, Taoist temples, mosques and churches in Beijing. The most well known of these are: Catholic East Church, Catholic South Church, Gangwa City Christian Church, Chongwenmen Christian Church, Niujie Mosque, Dongsi Mosque, Guangji Temple, Guanghua Temple, Baiyun Taoist Temple and Yonghegong Lamasery (commonly known as the Lama Temple).

 

Church in Beijing

 

There are eight churches in Beijing. They include the Eastern Church (Wangfujing Catholic Church), Western Church (Xizhimen Church), Southern Church (Xuanwumen Catholic Church), Northern Church (Xishiku Catholic Church), St. Michael's Church, Nangangzi Church, Pingfang Church and Dongguantou Church. Nine other churches are located in Beijing's suburbs.

 

Beijing Eastern Church (Wang Fu Jing Church)
 

Located east of central Wangfujing Street, the Catholic East Church, or Wangfujing Catholic Church, is one of the best-preserved religious sites in the heart of Beijing. The present building was rebuilt in 1904 on the ruins of the burned church.

 

The East Church was originally called Saint Joseph's Church, and was built in the 12th year (1655) of Emperor Shunzhi during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It was the second Catholic Church built in Beijing after Italian preacher Matteo Ricci built the “South Church” in southern Beijing at the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). In the 1980s, large-scale repairs and maintenance were carried out by the government for East Church. Beside the church is a front square of 1.2 hectares. Trees and grass were planted and various lighting facilities were installed to show off the gorgeous building at night.

 

Add: 74 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District

Tel: 010-6524 0634

 

Beijing Northern Church (Xi Shi Ku Church)
 

Xishiku Catholic Church, also called Xishiku Church (or Salvador Church, meaning Christ Church), Northern Church is located west of Zhongnanhai, at Canchikou and west of Ziguang Pavilion, so it is also called Canchikou Church. The sanctuary was later moved to Xishiku Street as Catholic North Church.

 

Xishiku Church is now the largest Catholic Church in Beijing. The style of the building is in typical Gothic style and it is famous for its grand architecture. Two pavilions with green glazed tile roofs were built on each side in front of the church with stone columns and stone lions surrounding and guarding the place of worship, adding the architectural style of Chinese gardens.

 

Built in 1890 by a French mission, the church was formerly the centre of a great complex of schools, orphanages and hospitals. The building has a tall, wide nave with side aisles, octagonal transepts and a huge sanctuary. There are many chandeliers, plus large, painted Stations of the Cross, antique stained glass and the remains of old wall decorations.

 

Add: 33 Xishiku, Xicheng District

Tel: (010) 6617- 5198

 

Beijing Southern Church
 

Xuanwumen Church: The oldest Catholic Church in Beijing, the Southern Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, is located at 181 Qianmen West Street in the Xuanwumen area. The church was first erected in the middle of the 16th century on the former site of the Donglin party, a political clique active in the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). When the Italian missionary Matteo Ricci came to China during the reign of Emperor Wanli in Ming Dynasty, the emperor provided him with a residence which stood slightly west of the cathedral.

 

Add: 141 Qianmenxi Dajie, Xuanwu District

Tel: (010) 6603- 7139

 

The cathedral was rebuilt in 1657 during the reign of Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty. The cathedral was severely damaged by earthquakes in 1775 and 1900, and was rebuilt in 1904 to its present form. The main components of the 100-year-old building remain unchanged with one exception-its wooden support columns have been replaced by brick-and-mortar columns decorated with stone mosaics.

 

Today the cathedral remains in excellent condition. Masses conducted by more than 10 Chinese Fathers attract an increasing number of Chinese and foreign worshipers every Sunday, and the church is always crowded during Easter and Christmas.

  

Beijing Western Church
 

The Western Church, located on the southern side of Xizhimen Neidajie, is the youngest church among the four churches. The Western Church was first established in 1723 and restored in 1912. Because of a pharmacy factory beside the place of worship, it nearly cannot be seen from the street. But delicate Collins pillars and Gothic peaked arches inside the church make it grand, elegant and solemn.

 

Buddhist Temples in Beijing

 

It is estimated that there were more than 700 temples in Beijing prior to 1949, both inside the city, and in the suburbs. The exact number of temples in the capital now is unknown, but dozens of good examples remain. Many of the temples were damaged in the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) or taken over by residents. But with the government's restoration efforts, some remain intact and are becoming increasingly popular with worshipers and tourists. Here we list a selection of the Beijing best Buddhist temples.

 

Beijing Lama Temple (Yonghegong)

The Lama Temple is the biggest Tibetan Buddhist temple of the Yellow School in Beijing. Built in the Qing Dynasty, it was the former residence of Emperor Yongzheng before he took the throne. The temple combines the architectural styles of Han, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan peoples. Rosewood Arhat sculptures, white sandlewood Buddha statues and Buddha niche carved with silkwood are three must-see things at the temple.

 

Beijing Miaoying Temple 

This Buddhist temple, also called Temple of the White Pagoda was first built in the Yuan Dynasty, but was later burned down and rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty. The current temple was largely built in the Qing Dynasty. Only the white pagoda was left over from Yuan Dynasty, a structure that is more than 700 years old. The pagoda is an important symbol of Yuandadu, the first capital set up in the Yuan Dynasty in 1279 by Kubla Khan. It is also the biggest Tibetan Buddhist pagoda in China.

 

Beijing Guangji Temple

Built in the Jin Dynasty, this temple is more than 800 years old. The architecture inside is preserved from the Ming Dynasty, when it was rebuilt and given the present name. The bronze statues of Buddha are extremely precious. There are also stone tablets engraved with a poem by Qianlong, a Qing Dynasty emperor. The temple is where China Buddhist Association is located, and is the center of the country's Buddhist activities.

 

Beijing Fayuan Temple

Established 1,300 years ago, this temple is the oldest and biggest temple in Beijing. It is where the China Buddhist Institute and China Buddhist Literature and Cultural Relics Museum are located. The Buddhist scripture library at the ancient temple provides a display of stone sculptures from Eastern Han, Wu of Three Kingdoms, Northern Wei, Northen Dynasty, Sui and Tang dynasties. A wooden sculpture of Buddha that measures 10 meters is the biggest lying Buddha in Beijing. The temple is known for its thousands of cloves.

    

The Big Bell Temple Temple (Juesheng Temple) in Beijing

Named after a big bronze bell in the temple, it is now also known as the Chinese Ancient Bell Museum. There are presently 439 items/sets of ancient bells in the museum, the oldest of which is more than 500 years old. Other bells were made in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.

 

Taoist Temples in Beijing

 

There are two Taoist Temples in Beijing: the White Cloud Temple in West Beijing and the Temple of God of Mt Taishan in East Beijing. The White Cloud Temple where the Chinese Taoist Association is located is the largest Taoist architectural complex in Beijing. The complex is composed of multiple courtyards set out on a central axis. From front to back the structures are as follows: a memorial archway, the main gate, a pool, a bridge, the Hall of Officials of the Heavenly Censor ate (corresponding to the Buddhist Hall of Heavenly Kings), the Hall of the Jade Emperor and the Hall of Religious Law (corresponding to the rear hall of a Buddhist temple).

 

Beijing White Cloud Temple (Bai Yun Guan)
 

The White Cloud Temple is in southwestern Beijing, directly behind the Broadcasting Building. It was called the Temple of Heavenly Eternity during the Tang Dynasty and the Temple of the Great Ultimate during the Jin Dynasty. It is the largest Daoist architectural complex in Beijing and was the headquarters for the Dragon Gate sect. Although historical records indicate that there were Daoist temples in Beijing during the Tang Dynasty, it was not until the early Yuan Dynasty that they came to be built on a large scale. The Yuan Emperor Shizu (Kublai Khan), whose reign lasted from 1260 to 1293, appointed a Daoist priest from Shandong province to the position of "National Teacher,"which nominally put him in charge of all Chinese Doaist affairs. This priest's name was Qiu Chuji, but he was commonly known as the Sage of Eternal Spring (Changchun Zhenren). While Qiu Chuji was in Beijing, he resided in the Temple of the Great Ultimate, which he expanded and renamed the Temple of Eternal Spring (Changchungong). From then on, it became the center of Daoism in northern China. It was not until the Zhengtong era (1436-1449) of the Ming Dynasty that its current name was adopted. 

 

The extant temple was rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty and exemplifies the Daoist architecture of the period. The complex is composed of multiple courtyards set out on a central axis. From front to back the structures are as follows: a memorial archway, the main gate, a pool, a bridge, the Hall of Officials of the Heavenly Censor ate (corresponding to the Buddhist Hall of Heavenly Kings), the Hall of the Jade Emperor and the Hall of Religious Law (corresponding to the rear hall of a Buddhist temple). 

 

In the center of the rear courtyard is the Hall of the Patriarch Qiu, devoted to the worship of Qiu Chuji, and behind this, the Hall of the Four Heavenly Emperors, the second story of which is the Hall of Three Purities (corresponding to the Sutra Repository of Buddhist temples and housing the Daoist Tripitaka). Here one can see the similarity between Daoist and Buddhist temple architectures, though the decorative details and paintings make use of specifically Daoist motifs such as lingzhi fungus, specifically Daoist immortals and cranes, and the Eight Diagrams. 

 

The temple contains a stela with calligraphy by Emperor Qianlong recording in detail the history the history of the temple and the life of Qiu Chuji.

 

Add: Binhe Lu, Xibianmen, Xicheng District;

Tel: 010-63463531, 63443666.

 

The Temple of the God of Taishan Mountain in Beijing (Dong Yue Miao)
 

The Temple of the God of Taishan Mountain stands on Shenlu Street in the Chaoyang District. It is said that the temple was built as a place of worship for the Supreme Celestial Emperor of Taishan Mountain, one of the five sacred mountains of China. 

 

The temple was first built in the Yanyou period (1314-1320) of the Yuan Dynasty at which time it was one of the largest Daoist temples in the capital, and the first major temple in northern China belonging to the Zhengyi Sect of Daoism founded by Master Zhang Daoling. A glazed memorial archway inscribed with "In Reverence to the God of Mount Tai" stands at eh temple's front entrance. 

 

The temple complex is composed of three courtyards. The main courtyard contains three halberd gates (jimen), the Hall of the Taishan Mountain (Daizongbaodian), and the Hall of Moral Cultivation (Yudedian). 

 

In the center of the Hall of the Taishan Mountain are statues of the God of Taishan Mountain and his high-ranking attendants. The two corridors in front of the hall house 72 statues of deities, or "Chiefs of Departments," each representing some form of human activity or natural force. 

 

There are more than 100 stone tablets dating from the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties in the temple compound. The most valuable is a four-meter-high stela inscribed, "Tablet of the Daoist Master Zhang" in the handwriting of the Yuan Dynasty calligrapher Zhao Mengfu. 

 

The temple was burned down in a battle during the last years of the Yuan Dynasty and was rebuilt in 1449 during the Ming Dynasty. The buildings standing today date from the Qing Dynasty, though they retain the style of the Yuan and Ming periods.

 

Mosques and Masjid in Beijing

 

Islam was introduced into Beijing around 10th century and the earliest mosque built in Beijing is the Niujie Mosque (also named Ox Street Mosque) which was built in 996. Islam became popular in the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty which built Beijing as its capital city. Dongsi Mosque and Erlizhuang Mosque were built during the Yuan Dynasty. In the following Ming Dynasty, Huashi Mosque and other four mosques were built. The Qing Dynasty saw the fastest growth of Islam in Beijing with over 30 mosques built in Beijing area. Currently there are seventy two mosques in Beijing (both urban and suburban area): four mosques in Beijing’s Dongcheng District; four mosques in Xicheng District; two mosques in Chengwen District; nine mosques in East Beijing’s Chaoyang District; seven mosques in North and West Beijing’s Haidian District; while the rest of mosques are located in suburbs of Beijing. The frequently visited mosques in Beijing are Niujie Mosque, Dongsi Mosque, Nandouya Mosque and Madian Mosque.