Tanzhe Temple (the Pool and Cudrania Temple)

Tanzhe Temple (Pool and Cudrania Temple) is situated 45 kilometres west of Beijing. The temple is one of the oldest in the Beijing region and harks back to a saying that “first there was Tanzhe Temple, then there was Beijing).

The temple was first built around 1700 years ago during the Jin Dynasty (265-420), when it was known as the Temple of Auspicious Fortune. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), it was expanded and renamed the Dragon Spring Temple. The majority of buildings still standing date from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, though there are two trees that date back to the Liao Dynasty (907-1125). There are several halls and pavilions centered on the main Mahavira Hall, where regular Buddhist ceremonies still take place.