Miaoying Temple

Main palace

The Miaoying Temple (simplified Chinese: 妙应寺; traditional Chinese: 妙應寺; pinyin: Miàoyìng Sì), also known as the "White Stupa Temple" (Chinese: 白塔寺; pinyin: Báitǎ Sì), is a Chinese Buddhist temple on the north side of Fuchengmennei Street in Xicheng District of Beijing.

There were temples built on the sites since the Liao and Yuan dynasties. The temple's famous white stupa also dates to the Yuan Dynasty. However, the present-building dates to the Ming Dynasty as well as its given name, "Miaoying", meaning "Divine Retribution".^[1]

In 1961, then Chinese Premier Zhou En-lai signed a Proclamation stating that the Temple was to be protected as a National Treasure. This Proclamation kept the White Stupa safe during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s.

In 1976, the temple was seriously damaged by the Tangshan earthquake. The top of stupa tilted to one side, and the bricks and mortar supporting the stupa crumbled off, and many relics were broken.

In 1978, the Beijing Department of Cultural Relics undertook the task of repairing and renovating the temple. The courtyards, the four corner-pavilions, the Hall of the Buddhas of the Three Ages, the Hall of the Heavenly Kings (Tianwangdian) in front of the stupa, the Hall of the Seven Buddhas and the stupa itself were repaired and renovated.^[1]

As of 2010, the Stupa complex is currently undergoing another renovation.

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  The White Dagoba

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  The gate of the temple

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  Statue of the Nepali architect, Arniko, who helped construct the temple's dagoba

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  From the sideview

References

1. ^ ^{a b} China Travel Guide. Miaoying Temple

External links

• Introduction to the Miaoying Monastery and White Dagoba

Coordinates: 39°55′26″N 116°21′25″E / 39.924°N 116.357°E / 39.924; 116.357