Fa Hua Temple Street, Haidian District, Beijing
- We have previously introduced the Fa Hua Temple on Fa Hua Temple Street in Dongcheng District. Today, let’s focus on the Fa Hua Temple on Fa Hua Temple Street in Haidian District. This temple is a district-level cultural heritage site, located on the north side of Fa Hua Temple Street in the Weigongcun Community of Haidian District, just west of Minzu University of China. It is currently used as a kindergarten by Minzu University.
According to “Historical Records of Beijing Temples,” this Fa Hua Temple was built during the Ming Dynasty under the reign of Emperor Wanli. At its peak, it covered an area of over 70 acres and housed 51 rooms.
The temple’s registry from 1928, as part of Beijing Special City Temple Records, shows that at the time, the temple housed several important religious items: a statue of Maitreya Buddha in the Heavenly King Hall, four statues of the Heavenly Kings, a statue of Weituo, three statues of the Three Buddhas in the main hall, eighteen Arhats, three Bodhisattvas in the east hall, a protector deity statue in the west hall, a large bronze bell, five small iron bells, two small iron incense burners, a wooden offering table (now in ruins), one offering table, two cypress trees, three locust trees, a total of 81 trees, and a stone religious plaque.
Today, the Fa Hua Temple still maintains a unique style and an orderly, delicate architectural layout. The temple faces south, with a symmetrical design centered along the main axis. It consists of three main halls: the Mountain Gate Hall, the Heavenly King Hall, and the Mahaviro Hall. The central Mountain Gate Hall features an exquisite stone plaque made of white marble with the inscription “Imperially Granted Fa Hua Zen Temple.” The Mahaviro Hall is a traditional gabled roof building, with a moon platform in front and auxiliary halls on either side. The temple’s gate and buildings have been carefully restored and are well-preserved, making this temple luckier than the one in the southern part of the city. While it is no longer a religious site, it is now a place where children learn, play, and grow strong. One wonders if there are any famous stories or historical anecdotes associated with this temple.
Phoenix Lee https://chinese-tradition.com/fa-hua-temple-history-and-architecture-in-haidian.html