White Cloud Temple

Hours & Admission Price Peak Season
May.- Sep.
8:30-16:30
10 Low Season
Oct.-Apr.
8:30-16:00
10 Address & Phone Baiyun Road in Xicheng District, Beijing, China Transportation Take Bus No. 26, 45, 319, 650, 695, 717, T5 or T6 and get off at Baiyun Guan Stop. Notes

Being the largest Taoist temple in Beijing, the White Cloud Temple is one of the three Great Ancestral Courts of Complete-reality school in Taoism and is titled "The First Temple under Heaven".

Located on the east side of Baiyun Road in Xicheng District, Beijing, China, the White Cloud Temple (Baiyun Guan in Chinese) is about 10 minutes’ walk east of Western Beijing Train Station. The temple is regarded as one of the three Great Ancestral Courts of Complete-reality (Quanzhen) school in Taoism. As the best preserved ancient Taoist temple, it attracts tourists from home and abroad for the most abundant cultural relics.

History

Initially built in 741 in Tang Dynasty (618-907), the White Cloud Temple was ruined and restored several times in its long history. In 1148, Genghis Khan invited the Quanzhen patriarch Qiu Chuji to Mongolia. After the patriarch came back to Beijing, Genghis Khan favored him with this temple. Since then, the temple became the Taoist administrative headquarters. During Cultural Revolution, the temple was not destroyed like other historical sites. Today, it is the seat of the Chinese Taoist Association.

Visiting Guide

With the entrance at the south end, the buildings in White Cloud Temple are laid out on a north-south axis. Respectively, they are Main Gate, Yuhuang Hall, Laolü Hall, Qiuzu Hall and Sanqing Hall, along with halls in two sides dedicated to various deities in Taoism and a garden at the rear.

The Main Gate, facing a screen wall and Paifang in front, has three archways indicating the three realms of Taoism. Entering the gate means jumping out from the earthliness and into the heaven. The stone walls of the gate are engraved with delicate carvings such as cloud, crane and flowers. East of the central archway is carved with a monkey, which is said to be the incarnation of immortals.

Yuhuang Hall, first built in 1661, is the place to worship God of Heaven. The central is the statue of the god, flanked with statues of six immortals. On the east and west sides of the hall are drum and bell towers.

Laolü Hall worships the seven disciples of the founder of Quanzhen School. Every day in the morning and evening, the Taoists monks come here for chanting. On Taoist festivals and the ancestors’ birthday, ceremonies are held at here.

Qiuzu Hall, first built in 1228 with a length of three bays, is the main building in the temple to enshrine Qiu Chuji. The center of the hall stands a statue of Qiu Chuji and beneath the statue is his grave. A huge wooden bowl favored by Emperor Yongzheng in Qing Dynasty is placed in the hall. The emperor said that once the monks had trouble in living, they could go to the imperial palace to get help.

Sanqing Hall, a two-story and five-bay structure, contains statues of the Three Pure immortals on the top floor and the Four Celestial Aides on the bottom floor. All of these statues date back to Qing Dynasty and the bronze furnace in the courtyard was casted in Ming Dynasty.

Temple Fair

The temple fair of the White Cloud Temple is one of the popular traditional temple fairs in Beijing. During the fair from lunar Jan 1 to Jan 19, there are many folk activities like touch the stone monkey and throw a coin through the small hole in a bridge. People think such activities can bring good luck to them. In addition, visitors also have the opportunity to enjoy all kinds of local snacks, traditional handcrafts as well as large-scale entertainment performances.

Beijing Culture