Hongluo Temple

Behind the small office building at the southern foot of Hongluo, it can be seen from afar. According to relevant records, it was first built in 378 AD. Hongluo Temple was roughly expanded during the flourishing Tang Dynasty. Originally named Damingsi, it was also called Huguo Temple and is commonly known as Hongluo Temple.

    The Hongluo Temple scenic area on Hongluo Mountain is located at the southern foot of Hongluo Mountain, 5 kilometers north of Huairou District in Beijing, and 55 kilometers from downtown Beijing. The scenic area covers a total of 800 hectares and is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

        Hongluo Mountain and Hongluo Temple are situated 3 kilometers north of Huairou District in Beijing and 55 kilometers from downtown. The scenic area spans 8 square kilometers and is now a “National 4A-Level Scenic Spot.” With its profound historical heritage and cultural influence, as well as its unique geographical environment and climatic conditions, Hongluo Mountain and Hongluo Temple have become a pristine and transcendent “Pure Land Buddhist Realm”!

        Hongluo Temple was first built in the fourth year of the Xiankang era of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (338 AD), serving as a universal monastery. It is the birthplace of Buddhism in northern China and the largest Buddhist monastic complex. For over a thousand years, it has held a highly esteemed position in the Buddhist community. The last two patriarchs of the Pure Land sect in China both had connections with this temple, giving rise to the saying “Putuo in the south, Hongluo in the north.”

Bus: Take bus 916 from Dongzhimen — transfer to H57 (Huairou Bus Station – Hongluo Temple) at Huairou Bus Station to reach the Hongluo Temple scenic area. Buses run approximately every 40 minutes.

By car: (1) Take the Beijing-Chengde Expressway — exit at Huairou Urban Area Exit (No. 14) — get on the elevated road — turn left at the traffic light intersection of Fanzhi Road (Yanqi Lake International Convention and Exhibition Center) — Fanyan Road — after passing the military underpass, turn right and go straight to directly reach Hongluo Temple. (Road signs are available.)

Method/Steps

Classic Route: Upon entering the main gate, start browsing clockwise from the left. Major attractions include:

A1: Attraction 1, View Hongluo Pond: Fountain, goldfish, turtles

Hongluo Temple Love & Marriage Prayer Process

A1: Attraction 2, Visit the Three Main Halls of Hongluo Temple: Heavenly King Hall, Three Saints Hall, and Mahavira Hall

In front of the Mahavira Hall stand two ancient ginkgo trees. The female tree on the east side is delicate and shorter, while the male tree on the west side is tall and robust. This male ginkgo is over 1,100 years old, stands more than 30 meters tall, and has a trunk circumference of over 7 meters. Despite its age, it remains full of vitality. In spring, the male tree blooms with pale yellow flowers, but bears no fruit in autumn, whereas the female tree shows no blossoms in spring but is laden with fruit in autumn. People see them as a perfectly matched couple, hence they are also called the “Couple Trees.” There’s a saying: “A single tree cannot make a forest,” yet the male ginkgo in Hongluo Temple seems to defy that — it has grown ten straight upward branches from its roots, and these ten branches come with a very magical legend. Locals say that with each dynastic change, a new branch grows from the root. Now there are ten branches and one main trunk. In spring, these ginkgo trees sprout new buds; in summer, their foliage is lush and offers cool shade; in autumn, golden leaves set off the grandeur of the Mahavira Hall, captivating visitors who linger to admire them. Ginkgo trees are living fossils and rare plants unique to China, with high scientific and ornamental value. Hence, the male and female ginkgos are hailed as one of the “Three Wonders of Hongluo Temple.”

A1: Attraction 3, Walk the Guanyin Path, a must-visit spot for prayers for fertility and blessings, lined with various statues of Guanyin.

      The “Guanyin Path” is 900 meters long, restored on the site of an ancient path from the Liao Dynasty. It’s the most convenient hiking trail leading up to Guanyin Temple on Hongluo Mountain within the scenic area and also serves as a path integrating prayer, wellness, fitness, and sightseeing. Folklore speaks of 33 manifestations and images of Guanyin. Based on these descriptions, the scenic area has placed 33 vivid and serene white-marble statues of Guanyin along both sides of the path. Visitors can deeply immerse themselves in Buddhist culture and enjoy the comfort of health and wellness here.

A1: Attraction 4, Guanyin Temple

The Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Guanyin is one of the 33 forms of Guanyin. Why does Guanyin have “a thousand arms and a thousand eyes”? According to the *Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Great Compassionate Heart Dharani Sutra*, in her past practice, Guanyin heard the vast and boundless Great Compassionate Heart Mantra preached by the Buddha of Boundless Light, King Jingrusa, and developed deep compassion. Seeing how heavily burdened and difficult to liberate all beings in the mortal world were, she vowed to attain a thousand arms and a thousand eyes to “benefit and bring joy to all beings.” Because her vow and merit were boundless, she immediately attained this form. A thousand arms signify the protection of all life, and a thousand eyes signify seeing all things in the world. “Thousand arms and thousand eyes” symbolize boundless compassion and miraculous power. Great compassion brings joy to all beings; great sorrow removes the suffering of all beings. In short, the Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Guanyin embodies boundless compassion and salvation. Devotees who worship her are believed to attain four kinds of accomplishments: dispelling disasters, gaining benefits, inspiring reverence, and subduing obstacles, thus reflecting her immeasurable compassion.

Child-Giving Guanyin Hall: Enshrined in the hall is the Child-Giving Guanyin. Although Buddhist texts mention 33 manifestations or 33 Guanyins, none specifically include the Child-Giving Guanyin. She is purely a creation of Chinese folk belief. Since the folk have created the “Child-Giving Guanyin,” there must be reasoning behind it. “Why seek Guanyin deep in the mountains? Guanyin is everywhere.” The public holds the most widespread reverence for the compassionate and salvation-bringing Guanyin, and temples dedicated to Guanyin are the most numerous across the country.

Huicheng Hall: At the center of Huicheng Hall is enshrined the Goddess of Mercy (Guanyin), with Manjushri Bodhisattva on the left and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva on the right.

Manjushri Bodhisattva

    “Manjushri” is the abbreviated form of the Sanskrit “Manjushri.” In Chinese, it means “wonderful virtue” or “wonderful auspiciousness,” symbolizing wisdom. Manjushri Bodhisattva holds an extremely high status in the Buddhist realm. It’s said he manifested as a bodhisattva to assist the Buddha in teaching, but he attained Buddhahood in all three time periods. His mount is a lion, and his sacred site is Mount Wutai in Shanxi.

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva

    “Samantabhadra” in Sanskrit is “Samantabhadra,” meaning “universal goodness.” His honorific title is “Great Conduct Samantabhadra,” and he is a commonly worshipped bodhisattva in Buddhism. Together with Manjushri, he serves as one of the attendants of Shakyamuni Buddha, symbolizing truth. According to the *Lotus Sutra, Samantabhadra’s Exhortation Chapter*, when the Buddha enters nirvana, if someone believes and recites the *Lotus Sutra*, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva will appear before that person along with other great bodhisattvas to protect them, ensuring their body and mind remain peaceful and free from afflictions and obstacles. Mount Emei in Sichuan is the sacred teaching site of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.

A1: Attraction 5, View Hongluo Mountain from Tianmen

This ancient temple, surrounded by mountains and water, is built against the hills. It leans on the majestic Hongluo Mountain to the north and faces the beautiful Hongluo Lake to the south. The surrounding area is shaded by forests and ancient trees, gathering vital energy and forming a feng shui treasure land. The “Three Wonders of Hongluo Temple” — the Imperial Bamboo Grove, the Male and Female Ginkgos, and the Wisteria Clinging to the Pine — are widely renowned. Millions of green bamboo poles and thousands of acres of ancient pine forests embrace the entire temple, creating a picturesque scene of “emerald waves cradling an ancient temple.” The spiritual essence of the mountains and rivers has shaped this Buddhist garden landscape that uniquely combines excellent feng shui and natural beauty. The Hongluo Temple scenic area now features a one-day tour itinerary encompassing the Ancient Temple Culture Zone, Guanyin Temple Culture Zone, Grand Buddha Culture Zone, and the two natural sightseeing zones of Hongluo Mountain and Qinglong Mountain. It offers seasonal highlights: “view flowers in spring, escape the heat in summer, admire foliage in autumn, and appreciate the ‘Three Friends of Winter’ in winter.” Visitors can enter the ancient temple to admire solemn Buddhist rites, offer incense and worship, reflect on their inner selves, dispel troubles, and gain peace and joy. They can also stroll through the woods, rest under the pines, climb to high points, gaze into the distance, and sing in the wind, fully enjoying the leisure and pleasure.

A1: Attraction 6, Walk through the Red Leaf Forest

A1: Attraction 7, Pass through the Five Hundred Arhats Garden and the Twelve Zodiac Garden: This attraction is very large and extremely precious. It’s estimated that a complete walk-through takes about 2 hours.

A1: Attraction 8, View Qinglong Mountain and pass through the Bamboo Grove

The bamboo grove in front of the mountain gate was planted by Zen Master Yunshan of the Yuan Dynasty and has a history of over 600 years. According to the Huairou County Annals, in the 32nd year of the Kangxi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1694 AD), when the Emperor visited Hongluo Temple to offer incense, he found this lush green bamboo grove quite novel. He ordered his officials to count the bamboos, which totaled 613. Before leaving, he instructed the monks and local officials to take good care of the bamboo grove so that he could visit and admire it again. Later, people began to call this bamboo grove the "Imperial Bamboo Grove." In the northwest corner of the grove, there is also a "Bamboo Viewing Pavilion" restored to its original appearance. It is said that Emperor Kangxi once sat on the imperial throne in the original pavilion to admire the bamboos. The bamboo grove at Hongluo Temple remains lush and vibrant all year round, with about one million bamboos, and is known as one of the "Three Scenic Wonders of Hongluo Temple."

China has a wide variety of bamboo species, numbering around 250. The bamboo at Hongluo Temple is Huangcao Jing bamboo, commonly known as "Jade Inlaid with Gold" (the bamboo is green overall with yellow grooves, hence the name Jade Inlaid with Gold; the reverse is called Gold Inlaid with Jade). Bamboo is a perennial plant of the grass family, hollow and jointed, and evergreen. The ancients personified bamboo as a "gentleman," as the saying goes, "It has joints before it emerges from the ground, and remains humble even when touching the clouds." Su Dongpo wrote: "I would rather eat without meat than live without bamboo; without meat, one becomes thin, but without bamboo, one becomes vulgar." This evergreen northern bamboo grove has become an elegant highlight of the scenic area.

A1: Scenic Spot 9, Photo Culture Corridor, exit the mountain gate

The outer or main gate of a Buddhist temple is called the "mountain gate," because most temples are built in mountain forests. The mountain gate usually consists of three parallel gates, commonly referred to as the "Three Gates." Why are there three gates? They symbolize the "Three Liberation Gates," namely the "Gate of Emptiness," the "Gate of Formlessness," and the "Gate of Non-Action." Buddhism holds that entering the Buddhist path means entering the Three Gates, entering the Three Gates means entering the Three Liberation Gates, and entering the Three Liberation Gates means entering the Gate of Nirvana—the symbolism is clear. As the gateway to the temple, the mountain gate marks the boundary between the Buddhist realm and the secular world. Its imposing presence as three parallel gates before monks and laypeople signifies the sacred inviolability of the Buddhist path.