Guanghua Temple

　　   Destination Introduction
　　   Guanghua Temple is located on Huangsi Street outside Andingmen in Beijing, and together with Donghua Temple, they are collectively referred to as Huangsi or Shuanghuang Temple. The temple is covered with yellow glazed tiles, with red walls, verdant pines, and majestic stupas, creating an extraordinary atmosphere. In 1983, Guanghua Temple was listed by the State Council as a nationally key Buddhist temple in Han Chinese regions.

　　　　      Guanghua Temple was originally named 0 Temple, built by the Qing Dynasty for the 0th Dalai Lama of Tibet. In the ninth year of the Shunzhi reign of Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty (1652), the Tibetan political and religious leader, the 0th Dalai Lama Lobsang Gyatso, was invited by Emperor Shunzhi to personally lead a delegation of over 3,000 people to Beijing for an audience. To receive this religious leader, the Qing government constructed Guanghua Temple.

　　　　      On December 16, 1652, Emperor Shunzhi grandly received the 0th Dalai Lama at Nanyuan, accepting the horses and treasures offered by him. The following day, the 0th Dalai Lama was conveyed, by special decree of the emperor, to reside in Guanghua Temple in a golden-topped yellow palanquin. From then on, Guanghua Temple became the residence of the 0th Dalai Lama during his time in Beijing, where he gave sermons and held Buddhist ceremonies on multiple occasions. In February 1653, the 0th Dalai Lama returned to Tibet. Emperor Shunzhi officially conferred upon the 0th Dalai Lama Lobsang Gyatso the title of “Dalai Lama, Vajradhara, Precious Protector of the Dharma, Ocean of Wisdom.” Since then, the title “Dalai Lama” has been officially and legally established. Successive Dalai Lamas must be officially recognized by the central government, a practice that has continued ever since.

　　　　      In the 45th year of the Qianlong reign (1780), Guanghua Temple became the place where the 6th Panchen Lama practiced meditation and preached. The 6th Panchen Lama, Lobsang Palden Yeshe (1738–1780), set out from Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet, in May 1779 with a retinue of over a thousand people. They traveled through Qinghai and Mongolia before arriving at the Chengde Mountain Resort in Hebei. To welcome the Panchen Lama, Emperor Qianlong had the Xumi Fushou Temple, the Panchen Lama’s residence, built at the resort. On July 22, 1780, the 6th Panchen Lama met Emperor Qianlong in the Qinqingkuang Hall at the resort, presenting a golden Buddha statue and ritual implements to congratulate the emperor on his seventieth birthday, in an atmosphere of warmth and friendship. The next day, Emperor Qianlong visited the Xumi Fushou Temple to meet the 6th Panchen Lama and listened to his sermon. To this day, the temple preserves the “Qianlong Listening to the 6th Panchen Lama’s Sermon” painting. On the second day of the ninth lunar month, the 6th Panchen Lama arrived in Beijing and stayed at Guanghua Temple. During his stay, he gave sermons, attracting visits from nobles and officials, while countless devotees flocked to the temple to pay their respects. On December 2, the 6th Panchen Lama passed away in Guanghua Temple due to illness, shocking the nation. Emperor Qianlong suspended court affairs for one day, and ordered all Buddhist temples in Beijing to recite scriptures for 49 days to pray for the Panchen Lama's soul. The Qing government cast a golden statue of the 6th Panchen Lama, which was enshrined in the main hall of Guanghua Temple. They also used 70 taels of gold to build a golden stupa, placing the Panchen Lama’s remains inside. In the spring of 1781, the Qing government sent Minister of Colonial Affairs Boqing’e to escort the remains and relics of the 6th Panchen Lama back to Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse.

　　　　      In the 47th year of the Qianlong reign (1782), to commemorate the 6th Panchen Lama, Emperor Qianlong built the Stupa of the 6th Panchen Lama’s Attire and Crown at Guanghua Temple, known as the Tower of the Pure Land.

　　　　      In 1983, the State Council listed Guanghua 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 10th Panchen Lama Choskyi Gyaltsen, was established at Guanghua Temple. On September 1, with Buddhist music resounding, the college held the grand opening ceremony for its first class of students.

　　　　      Guanghua Temple, once the residence of the Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas during the Qing Dynasty, is now becoming a cradle for training senior Tibetan Buddhist monks, Buddhist scholars, and professionals in international academic exchange.

　　　　      Location: Located on Huangsi Street outside Andingmen in Beijing

　　　　      Area: Over 900 square meters

　　　　      Today, Guanghua 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 is a three-room hall, with a bell tower and a drum tower in the courtyard. The second section features a main hall with five rooms, in front of which stand two stele pavilions on the east and west sides. The east stele records the achievements of the 6th Panchen Lama's arrival in Beijing and the significance of constructing the Tower of the Pure Land, with the front side in Chinese and the back side in Tibetan and Manchu. The west stele contains a poem inscribed by Emperor Qianlong.

　　　　      On the central axis behind the main hall of Guanghua Temple stands the Tower of the Pure Land. The entire stupa, except for the top, is built entirely of white stone. The stupa is built atop a more than 3-meter-high white marble platform, surrounded by railings, memorial archways, and mythical beast statues. At each of the four corners of the stupa stands an octagonal stupa-style scripture pillar, each 7 meters high and divided into five levels. Each level houses eight Buddha statues, exquisitely carved and uniquely styled.

　　　　      The main stupa is about 15 meters high. Its base is an octagonal splayed pedestal, supporting an octagonal sumeru pedestal that holds up the body of the stupa. The sumeru pedestal is adorned with patterns such as lotuses, scrolling vines, and clouds, and its eight sides feature reliefs depicting Buddhist stories. At the eight corners of the pedestal are large carvings of Tibetan guardian figures, each holding a miniature stupa, creating a majestic, rugged, and simple impression. The sumeru pedestal supports the stupa body, with a niche on the southern face carved to house a relief of the Three Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future. The top of the stupa is made of copper and gilded, featuring a double-layered lotus, a finial, and a precious bottle. The Tower of the Pure Land adopts the style of Indian-style stupas with smaller towers at the corners, uses traditional Han Chinese memorial archways and decorative patterns as a backdrop, and centers on the stupa architecture of Tibetan Buddhism. This forms an ingenious structure that blends the styles of Han, Tibetan, and Indian Buddhism. It boasts a grand presence, harmonious design, exquisite carvings, and a pristine dignity, earning it the reputation of being the “Crown of Beijing’s White Pagodas.”  Transportation Information
　　   Take bus route 409 or 123 to get there.

　　    Beijing Chaoyang District