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Tanzhe
Temple
The Tanzhe Temple (literally
"Temple of Pool and Zhe Tree")
is a Buddhist temple situated near China
National Highway 108 in the Mentougou District,
a mountainous area to the west of Beijing.
The temple is built on a hillside
and consists of various pavilions, prayer
halls, courtyards and a group of pagodas
dating from the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.
At one time, it was one of the most important
temples in the nation.
Built in the Jin Dynasty (265¨C420),
it has an age of around 1,600 years. The
area of the entire temple is 100 mu (6.8
hectares), and its arrangement of halls
is akin to that found in the Ming and Qing
dynasties.
The temple's central hall is
its Mahavira Hall. 24 metres in length,
33 metres wide, and with a depth of 20 metres.
Buddhist monks regularly perform chanting
here, to the accompaniment of woodblocks,
cup gongs, and bells.
The complex is extensive, and
is said to have provided a model for the
layout of the Forbidden City. Above and
to the right of the main courtyard lies
a rare stupa yard (TaYuan), with stone monuments
built in different styles over a period
of several centuries and housing the remains
of eminent monks.
Tanzhe Temple also has some
other features. The bed of its former Dragon
Pool, which has dried up, sits on the hill
at the back of the temple. The zh¨¨
trees (Cudrania tricuspidata or Wild Mulberry),
now few in number, are located in the temple
as well. Their number has dwindled shockingly
from the original thousand or so. There
are also persimmon trees, as well as a stand
of bamboo.
Tanzhe Temple has seen numerous
monks practice their Buddhist art for the
rest of their lives here, thus leaving many
pagoda tombs in different styles close by
the temple. Probably the best known is the
one of Princess of Miaoyan, daughter of
Kublai Khan, of the Yuan Dynasty. In order
to redeem her father from killing so many
people in battles, she converted herself
to Buddhism, and spent the rest of her life
here. Her pagoda tomb is a solid brick five-storey
construction with elaborate eaves, with
a smaller pagoda on each side for company.
As a cultural resort with a
long history, the temple always attracts
many tourists from home and abroad.
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