Guanyin Temple in Beidaihe

Guanyin Temple in Beidaihe

Guanyin Temple in Beidaihe is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Hebei Province.

Guanyin Temple in Beidaihe is located within Lianfeng Mountain Park by the seaside in Beidaihe District, sitting against Lianfeng Mountain and facing the sea. The temple is built in the style of a traditional Chinese courtyard.

It covers an area of 830 square meters and consists of a mountain gate, east and west side halls, and the main hall. There is a door on each side of the mountain gate, an angle door between the east side hall and the southern wall, and a corridor in the northwest corner connecting to the meditation hall. In the southeastern corner of the temple, there is an iron bell that was relocated here from Rulai Temple in earlier years. The mountain gate of the temple features a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, is constructed with brick and wood, has a width and depth of one bay each, and covers a construction area of 26 square meters, with a building height of 6.1 meters. The gate arch is arched, 1.7 meters wide and 2.1 meters high, with a statue of the Goddess Guanyin in the center and murals painted on the east and west walls. The east and west side halls both have single-eave flush-gable roofs, feature front corridors, are built with brick and wood, have three bays in width and two bays in depth, and cover a construction area of 80.64 square meters. They are 5.86 meters tall, have five-tier beams, and feature Qing-style painted decorations. The main hall also has a single-eave flush-gable roof, a front corridor, is built with brick and wood, has three bays in width and two bays in depth; it covers a construction area of 7.4 square meters, is 6.85 meters tall, has five-tier beams, and features Qing-style painted decorations. At the center of the main platform in the central bay of the main hall stands a wooden-carved statue of Guanyin; wooden carvings of a boy and a girl stand attendant on either side. Guanyin Temple is also known as “Guanghua Temple.” It was first built in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. It was renovated in the 60th year of the Qianlong Emperor’s reign (1795). In the 9th year of the Republic of China (1920), the main hall and the east and west wing rooms were restored. In 1979, the temple underwent another renovation. Since then, there have been multiple repairs, with the most recent major renovation carried out in 1991.

The temple is embraced by forests, valleys, springs, and rocks, tucked away among trees, offering a serene atmosphere reminiscent of “a deep, quiet Zen chamber surrounded by blossoms and trees.” The dragon claw scholar trees and ginkgo pines growing in the temple are two to three hundred years old, planted during the Ming and Qing dynasties. There is also an ancient bell in the temple, which is a provincially protected cultural relic.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites Protected in Hebei Province