"Before Beijing, there was Tanzhesi"

Tanzhesi (literally, Temple of the Pool and Mulberry Tree) was once one of the most important Buddhist temples in China. Located in the mountainous Mentougou district about 45 km to the west of Beijing, it has become a popular daytrip destination.

Tanzheshi was built in 307 AD during the Western Jin dynasty (265-316 BCE), this Buddhist temple predated the building of the capital Beijing by some 800 years. A local saying goes, “First there was Tanzhesi, then came Beijing.”

Tanzhesi was originally named Jiafusi (Temple of Auspicious Fortune). In 1692, the 31st year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, it was renamed Xiu Yun temple, which up to the present, remains its official name. However, the temple is more popularly known as Tanzhesi.

The temple gets its name from a deep pool (Long Tan) on a hill behind the temple and the wild mulberry trees (zhe) that once numbered more than a thousand. The pool has long since dried up and the wild mulberry trees have also dwindled in number.

The temple complex which occupies an area of 100 mu (6.8 hectares) is said to have provided a model for the layout of the Forbidden City. The Sheli pagoda, located along the eastern road, houses a relic of Buddha while Da Xiong Hall boasts elaborate eaves and roof carvings. In Long Wang Hall (Dragon King Hall), there is a stone fish that is said to have been presented to the Jade Emperor by the Dragon King.

Legend says that Princess Miao Yan, the daughter of Kublai Khan (in Chinese, Yuanshizu Hu Bilie, first emperor of the Yuan dynasty), entered the nunnery in the temple in the 13th century. She converted to Buddhism to atone for the many deaths her father had caused. In the Hall to Guan Yin, you can still see the indentations that the devout princess has left on the stone where she spent countless hours praying to the Goddess of Mercy. She spent the rest of her life in the temple and is buried in a pagoda tomb on the temple grounds.

The temple's central hall is called the Mahavuira Hall. Buddhist monks regularly chant in this massive hall, which measures is 24 meters long, 33 meters wide and 20 meters deep, accompanied by woodblocks, cup gongs and bells.

Visit Tanzhesi during the week to avoid large crowds. (Image: Radio86)In the main courtyard, a majestic pair of ginkgo trees, more than 30 meters high, stand proud. Known as the “Emperor and Empress,” the trees are supposed to have been planted as early as during the Tang dynasty (618-907). Emperor Qianlong, the fifth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, called the Emperor tree the King of Trees. According to folklore, a new branch grew on the Empress tree every time a new emperor was born.

The highlight of a visit to Tanzhesi is the rare stupa yard (Ta Yuan) near the main courtyard. The different-styled "mini" pagodas contain the remains of eminent monks throughout the temple's long history.

During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), Tanzhesi was spared and not destroyed like many other temples. It reopened its doors to visitors in 1980. In 2006, it received 450,000 visitors. There are restaurants and shops, selling souvenirs as well as incense and candles, on the premises.

The temple could be quite crowded during the weekend, so if you can, try and visit during the week. The best times to visit would be around mid-Spring, when the flowers around the temple are in bloom.

Ticket price: 35 yuan (about 3.80 euros)
Opening hours: 8:00am to 5:30pm (summer); 8:30am to 4:30pm (winter)
Telephone number: 010-6086-2505

How to get to Tanzhesi:

Take line no. 1 (red line) to Pingguoyuan subway stop, which is the line's western end. At When you reach the stop, take Exit D, turn right and continue straight to the bus station. Take the plain red and beige bus no. 931 (Y3) rather than the red and yellow no. 931 branch line (zhīxiàn) version of the bus. On weekdays, the buses run from 7am to 5:30pm about every half hour. The journey lasts about one hour.

On weekends between April 15 to October 15, the no.7 tourist bus runs from the north east corner of Qianmen (Saturday and Sunday, from 7am to 8:30am; costs about 50 yuan or about 5.40 euros) and includes a stop at the Shihua Caves and the nearby Jietai temple.

An alternative would be to take a taxi outside the metro stop and arrange round-trip transport. Make sure the driver understands that he needs to wait for you at Tanzhesi and bring you back to the metro stop. Agree on the price beforehand and pay all or part of the price on your way back. A reasonable price would be between 100 yuan (10.80 euros) if you just want to Tanzhesi and 300 yuan (32.40 euros) if you also want to visit Jietai temple, but there's always room to bargain!

1 yuan = .108 euros per XE.com rates