Temple of Azure Clouds, Buddhist temple in Haidian District, China

The Temple of Azure Clouds (Biyun Si) is a Buddhist temple built on the east slope of Xiangshan in Haidian District, Beijing. It faces east and covers over 40,000 square metres, with six courtyards rising along a central axis from the outer gate to the Vajrasana Pagoda. The red-painted outer gate has a grey tiled roof, a pale stone arch, a blue plaque with gold characters, and a lattice window.

Founded in 1331 when a descendant of Yelü Chucai gave his residence for a temple, it was expanded by eunuchs Yu Jing in 1514 and Wei Zhongxian in 1623. The Qianlong Emperor rebuilt and enlarged it in 1748, adding the Vajrasana Pagoda, Water Spring Courtyard and Hall of Arhats. In 1925 Sun Yat-sen's coffin rested here before removal to Nanjing in 1929.

The Hall of Arhats, built in 1748 after the model of Jingci Temple in Hangzhou, holds 500 wooden, gold-lacquered arhats about 1.5 m tall, each with a different pose and expression. Two of them, the 295th and 360th, are said to portray the Kangxi and Qianlong emperors. Ji Gong sits on an overhead beam, said to have arrived late and found no seat.

The site is located in the Western Hills outside the city center and requires entry through an adjacent park area. Wear sturdy shoes since you will climb stairs and pathways between the different levels.

The crystal coffin in the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall was sent by the Soviet government on 30 March 1925, but Sun had already been embalmed, so it was never used. The hall also displays a white marble carving of Sun's letter to the Soviet Union. The hall occupies the former Puming Miaojue Hall, where Sun's body lay in state in 1925.