Tanzhe Temple was built more than 1,700 years ago and has a very long history. It was once on a large scale. It is said that the Forbidden City in Beijing was built by imitating here. There is a proverb in Beijing that ‘There was Tanzhe Temple first, and then there was Beijing City.’ The temple is highly regarded and has a prosperous incense. Moreover, it is surrounded by mountains, with towering ancient trees and ancient and exquisite buildings.
The scenery is very beautiful. The current area of Tanzhe Temple is not large. The length and width of the temple area are both about 300 meters. The main buildings of the temple and many towering ancient trees are distributed. It takes about 2 hours to walk and visit here. In addition, there are Longtan at the back of the temple and the upper and lower pagoda forests in front of the temple. It takes about 3 hours to visit all the places hastily. If you want to understand and observe carefully or take photos, it may take longer. Admire the simple and unsophisticated scenery of the pagoda forest. The main entrance of Tanzhe Temple is on the south side. About 300 meters outside the temple on the south side are the upper and lower pagoda forests. These two pagoda forests are often overlooked by tourists who directly enter the temple to visit. However, the scenery at the pagoda forest is also very good. You might as well visit it before entering the temple. The pagoda forest is composed of stupas for storing the relics of the masters who passed away in the temple. The pagoda forest of Tanzhe Temple is mainly in gray and white. It is located among the secluded woods. Walking and visiting here is very quiet. It gives people a feeling of simplicity and tranquility. You can also take very good photos. Visit traditional temple buildings. After visiting the pagoda forest, you can enter the temple from the mountain gate. On the central axis of the temple are buildings such as the mountain gate, the Heavenly King Hall, the Mahavira Hall, and the Pilu Pavilion. On the left and right sides are the Pear Tree Courtyard and the Temporary Palace Courtyard, etc. You can visit them one by one on foot. The architectural style in the temple is unified. Most of them have bright and colorful paintings, and the layout is very delicate. Among them, there are many temporary palaces where emperors of past dynasties lived here. So it is very exquisite. In addition to the buildings, there are also many towering ancient trees in the courtyard. The towering trees block out the sun, giving people a feeling of ancient and secluded. Taking photos is also very good. See magnolias in spring and apricots in autumn. The imperial tree at the back of the Mahavira Hall is an ancient ginkgo tree over a thousand years old. The scale is very spectacular. It is said that every branch of this tree grows when an emperor of the Qing Dynasty ascends the throne. It is very interesting and can be visited emphatically. To the north of the imperial tree is a Erqiao magnolia tree, which is also an ancient tree. The special feature is that this tree is a two-color magnolia tree in Beijing. When the flowers bloom in spring, the magnolias on the tree are very beautiful. Touch the stone fish and pray for safety. The stone fish on the northwest side of the temple is also a famous scenic spot that tourists come to see. According to legend, as long as you touch this stone fish, you can pray for blessings and it is very effective. Now it costs 5 yuan for incense money to touch the stone fish. If you are interested, you can experience it. In addition to these scenic spots, the ‘floating wine cups along winding water’ carving, the large copper pot, the Tiger Cave, the Guanyin Cave, etc. in the temple are also very famous. And each has very interesting history and legends. You can all learn about them.On the northeast side of Tanzhe Temple, there is a stone step road leading up the mountain, which is the way to Longtan at the back of the temple. The ‘tan’ in Tanzhe Temple refers to Longtan at the back of the mountain. It takes about more than 1 kilometer of stone steps to climb the mountain to reach Longtan, which takes about half an hour. However, Longtan is relatively small and not very distinctive, so few tourists go there.
In addition to viewing numerous ancient trees and temple buildings, the natural scenery around Tanzhe Temple is also very good. The entire temple is surrounded by several small hills, and the mountains around are densely forested. Every autumn, the mountains are covered with red leaves everywhere, not inferior to places like Xiangshan. It is a very good place to view red leaves in Beijing. Opening hours: Open all year round from 08:30 to 16:30. Preferential policies: Children: Under 1.2 meters (inclusive), free. Disabled people: With valid certificates, free. Military personnel: Active-duty military personnel, with valid certificates, free. Firefighters: Active firefighters, with valid certificates, free. Elderly people: Those over 60 years old (inclusive) holding their own ‘Beijing Tong – Elderly Care and Disability Assistance Card’; retired personnel with valid certificates, free. Those over 60 years old from outside Beijing without a ‘Beijing Tong – Elderly Care and Disability Assistance Card’, with an ID card or elderly card, half price. Students: With valid full-time college, high school, and primary school student certificates (excluding graduate students and adult education), half price. Service facilities: Parking lot: [Parking lot of Tanzhe Temple Scenic Area]. Reference price: Small cars cost 5 yuan/time, large cars cost 10 yuan/time. Address: At the entrance of Tanzhe Temple Scenic Area, Tanzhe Temple Town. Parking spaces: Subject to the actual situation of the scenic area. Must-see tips: 1. The temple provides free incense for pilgrims and does not encourage bringing in incense from outside. So don’t buy incense outside. Don’t believe the claim of incense sellers outside the temple that incense inside the temple is more expensive. 2. The drive from downtown Beijing to Tanzhe Temple is relatively long. When playing, it is recommended to prepare some drinking water, dry food, etc. as lunch. 3. A few kilometers southeast of Tanzhe Temple is Jietai Temple, which can be visited together. Take Bus No. 931 at Tanzhe Temple Station in front of Tanzhe Temple and get off at Mentougou Nancun Station. Then transfer to Bus No. 948 and get off at Jietai Temple Station. The journey takes about half an hour.
