Bailin Temple, Buddhist temple in Dongcheng District, China
Bailin Temple is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Dongcheng District, Beijing, built around five courtyards aligned along a central axis. The layout follows traditional Chinese temple design, with a main gate, a Heavenly Kings Hall, and a Great Buddha Hall arranged one after another from south to north.
The temple was built in 1347 during the reign of Yuan Emperor Shun and was placed under the supervision of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. Over the following centuries it became one of the eight major temples in Beijing and was later recognized as a nationally protected site.
The temple houses rare wooden blocks of the Tibetan Dragon Sutra, which represent the most complete Buddhist encyclopedia in China. Visitors today can still sense its importance as a center for Tibetan Buddhist teachings and practice.
The temple is open to the general public mainly on the annual Cultural Heritage Day, while the rest of the year it is accessible only to affiliated institutions. If you want to see the interior, plan your visit around that day.
The main hall bears a horizontal tablet personally inscribed by Emperor Kangxi and offered as a gift on his 60th birthday, showing the direct link between this monastery and the imperial court. The temple also houses rare wooden printing blocks of the Tibetan Dragon Sutra, considered the most complete Buddhist encyclopedia in China.
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