Fayuan Temple, Buddhist temple in Xicheng District, China

Fayuan Temple is a Buddhist monastery in Beijing whose buildings stand on a north-south axis across six courtyards, rising gradually from south to north. Its halls include the Heavenly King Hall, the Mahavira Hall with its Qianlong-inscribed "Source of the Dharma Sea" plaque, the Minzhong Terrace, the Pilu Hall and the Sutra Library. The bronze five-Buddha statue in Pilu Hall, 5.65 m tall, has a thousand-petal lotus base with a small Buddha on each petal.

The temple was established in the 7th century as a memorial to soldiers and was originally called by a different name. Over the centuries it underwent rebuilding and changes that shaped it into the major Buddhist institution it is today.

The temple serves as home to the Buddhist Academy of China and functions as an active place of worship and spiritual study. You can sense the ongoing religious practice through the presence of monks, prayer rituals, and devotional activities that continue throughout the day.

The temple is located in central-west Beijing and accessible by public transit, with limited morning hours for visits. Dress modestly and be respectful of the active religious space where monks and worshippers gather.

The bronze statue in Pilu Hall is 5.65 metres tall and was moved here from Longchang Temple after that temple was destroyed. Its lower tier is a thousand-petalled lotus seat, each petal carved with a small Buddha, a composition known as a thousand Buddhas encircling Vairocana. The Tang monk Xuanzang's skull relic, once kept in this hall, was stolen after 1949; a memorial hall now holds substitute relics.