Xihuang Temple

Xihuang Temple

Xihuang Temple is a protected cultural heritage site of Beijing.

Destination Introduction

Xihuang Temple is located on Huangsi Street outside Andingmen in Beijing, and together with Donghuang Temple, they are collectively referred to as Huangsi or Shuanghuang Temple. Covered with yellow glazed tiles, Xihuang Temple features red walls, verdant pines, and towering Buddhist stupas, creating an extraordinary atmosphere. In 1983, it was designated by the State Council as a nationally key Buddhist temple in Han Chinese regions.

Originally named 0 Temple, Xihuang Temple was built by the Qing Dynasty for the Tibetan religious leader 0 the Fifth. In the ninth year of the Shunzhi reign (1652), the Tibetan political and religious leader 0 the Fifth, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, accepted the invitation of Emperor Shunzhi and personally led over three thousand people to Beijing for an audience. To receive this religious dignitary, the Qing government constructed Xihuang Temple.

On December 16, 1652, Emperor Shunzhi grandly received 0 the Fifth at Nanyuan, accepting horses and treasures offered by him. The next day, 0 the Fifth was conveyed in a golden-topped yellow sedan chair specially granted by the emperor, and moved into Xihuang Temple by imperial decree. From then on, Xihuang Temple became the residence of 0 the Fifth during his time in Beijing. He frequently gave sermons and held Buddhist ceremonies there. In February 1653, 0 the Fifth returned to Tibet, and Emperor Shunzhi officially conferred upon 0 the Fifth, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, the title “Vajradhara, the Great Compassionate, Free from All Obstacles, Lord of All Tathagatas, Teacher of Gods and Men, the Buddha Vajradhara of the Western Paradise.” Since then, the title “0” has been officially and legally established. Successive reincarnations of 0 have required formal recognition by the central government, forming a fixed protocol.

In the forty-fifth year of Qianlong’s reign (1780), Xihuang Temple also became the place where the Sixth Panchen Lama meditated and taught. The Panchen Erdeni, Palden Yeshe (1783–1780), set out in May 1779 from Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet, accompanied by a entourage of over a thousand, traveling through Qinghai and Inner Mongolia to Chengde Mountain Resort in Hebei. To welcome the Panchen Lama, Emperor Qianlong built the Panchen Lama’s Palace — Xumi Fushou Temple — at the resort. On July 22, 1780, the Sixth Panchen Lama met Emperor Qianlong at the Qinqingkuang Hall in the resort, presenting gold Buddha statues and ritual instruments to congratulate the emperor on his seventieth birthday in a warm and friendly atmosphere. The following day, Qianlong visited Xumi Fushou Temple in person to see the Sixth Panchen Lama and listened to his teachings. To this day, the temple still houses the “Qianlong Listening to the Sixth Panchen Lama’s Teachings” painting. On the second day of the ninth lunar month, the Sixth Panchen Lama arrived in Beijing and resided at Xihuang Temple. During his stay, he gave sermons, attracting visits from nobles and officials, while numerous devotees came to worship. On December 2, the Sixth Panchen Lama passed away in Xihuang Temple due to illness, shocking the nation. Emperor Qianlong suspended court affairs for a day, and ordered all Buddhist temples in Beijing to recite scriptures for 49 days in his honor. The Qing government cast a solid gold statue of the Sixth Panchen Lama, which was enshrined in the main hall of Xihuang Temple, and used 70 taels of gold to construct a golden stupa to house his relics. In the spring of 1781, the Qing government dispatched Minister of Colonial Affairs Baoqing’e to escort the golden stupa containing the Sixth Panchen Lama’s remains back to Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse.

In the forty-seventh year of Qianlong’s reign (1782), to commemorate the Sixth Panchen Lama, Qianlong built a reliquary stupa for him in Xihuang Temple, called the Tower of the Purified Domain.

In 1983, the State Council listed Xihuang Temple as a nationally key Buddhist temple in Han Chinese regions. In September 1987, the China Tibetan Language High-Level Buddhist College, personally founded by the Tenth Panchen Lama, Chökyi Gyaltsen, was established at Xihuang Temple. On September 1, with Buddhist music playing, the college held a grand inaugural ceremony for its first class of students.

Xihuang Temple, once the residence of 0 and the Panchen Lama during the Qing Dynasty, is now becoming a cradle for training senior Tibetan Buddhist monks, Buddhist scholars, and professionals for international academic exchanges.

Location: Huangsi Street outside Andingmen, Beijing

Area: Over 900 square meters

Today, Xihuang Temple covers a construction area of over 900 square meters, with a total of 59 halls and rooms. The entire temple faces south and is situated to the north. Upon entering, there are three halls; inside the courtyard stand a bell tower and a drum tower. The second courtyard contains a main hall with five bays, and in front of the hall are two stele pavilions on the east and west sides. The eastern stele describes the achievements of the Sixth Panchen Lama’s visit to Beijing and the significance of constructing the Tower of the Purified Domain, with Chinese inscriptions on the front and Tibetan and Manchu texts on the back. The western stele features a poem by Emperor Qianlong.

Along the central axis behind the main hall of Xihuang Temple stands the Tower of the Purified Domain. Except for the top, the entire tower is built of white stone. It is erected on a more than three-meter-high white marble platform, surrounded by railings, memorial archways, and mythical animal statues. At each of the tower’s four corners stands an octagonal stupa-shaped scripture pillar, seven meters tall and composed of five levels, each level enshrining eight Buddha statues with exquisitely carved and uniquely styled designs.

The main tower is about 15 meters high. Its octagonal splayed base supports an octagonal Sumeru pedestal that holds the body of the tower. The pedestal is adorned with lotus, scroll, and cloud motifs, with the eight sides carved with Buddhist stories. At the eight corners of the pedestal, large statues of Tibetan guardian figures are carved, each holding a miniature stupa, projecting a majestic, rugged, and simple aura. The Sumeru pedestal supports the tower body, and on the southern face is carved a Buddha niche, within which three Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future are depicted in relief. The top of the tower is made of gilded copper, featuring double-layered lotus petals, a spire, and a precious bottle finial. The Tower of the Purified Domain adopts the Indian-style design of a main stupa surrounded by smaller corner stupas, uses traditional Han Chinese memorial archways and patterns as embellishments, and takes the Tibetan Buddhist stupa form as its main structure. This creates a skillful architectural fusion of Han, Tibetan, and Indian Buddhist styles. With its majestic presence, harmonious construction, exquisite carvings, and pristine dignity, it is honored as the “Crown of Beijing’s White Pagodas.”

Transportation Information

Take bus route 409 or 123 to get there.

Address: Middle Section of Huangsi Road, Outside Andingmen, Chaoyang District, Beijing

Opening Hours:

Currently not open to the public; visitors can only view the exterior.

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Municipal Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Beijing