Temple of Longevity in Beijing

　　   The Temple of Longevity is located west of Guangyuan Sluice on the Changhe River, and is a renowned ancient temple in western Beijing. Built during the Tang Dynasty, it was originally called Jushe Temple. In the fifth year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1577), it was renovated and renamed the Temple of Longevity. It was mainly used to store Buddhist scriptures. Later, the printing blocks and scriptures were moved to the Fanjing Factory and Hanjing Factory, and the Temple of Longevity became a temporary imperial palace for the emperors and empresses of the Ming Dynasty to dine and rest on their way to West Lake (Kunming Lake). In the twentieth year of the Guangxu reign (1894), the temporary palace of the Temple of Longevity was renovated again, with the addition of the Thousand Buddha Pavilion and Dressing Tower in the west courtyard, forming its final layout.

　　   The temple is divided into three sections: the central section is the main body, the west is the temporary palace, and the east is the abbot’s courtyard, covering a total area of 31,800 square meters. The central section includes the mountain gate, the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Mahavira Hall, the Longevity Pavilion, the Thousand Buddha Pavilion, and the stele pavilion. There are also side halls and auxiliary rooms. On the east and west sides of the Hall of Heavenly Kings are the bell and drum towers, where the Yongle Bell (later moved to the Bell and Drum Towers) was once placed. During the Guangxu reign, Empress Dowager Cixi would stop at the Temple of Longevity to offer incense and worship the Buddha on her way to the Summer Palace, and enjoy tea and refreshments in the west courtyard temporary palace, hence it was also known as the “Little Palace of Tranquil Longevity.” Around 1934, the front part of the Temple of Longevity was converted into a school for children of refugees from the northeast. In 1984, the central section was turned into the Beijing Art Museum.

　　

　　   The Temple of Longevity features deep courtyards, grand halls, exquisite carvings, painted beams and columns, and is extremely magnificent. The area includes winding corridors, imperial stele pavilions, bluestone rockeries, ancient underground palaces, and lush pines and cypresses, all arranged in an artful composition, covering an area of over 30,000 square meters. The temple is divided into eastern, central, and western sections. The central section is the main architectural complex, with seven courtyards within the mountain gate, extending northward in sequence: the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Mahavira Hall (also known as the Great Hall of Extended Longevity), the Longevity Pavilion, the Grand Meditation Hall, the Imperial Stele Pavilion, the Hall of the Buddha of Infinite Life, and the Longevity Tower, with side halls and auxiliary rooms on both sides of each hall. The eastern section consists of the abbot’s courtyard and the garden area, which served as the living quarters for monks. The western section was converted into a temporary palace courtyard during the Qianlong reign. In front of the temple, the Changhe River flows, and there used to be a dock. In late spring and early summer, when emperors and empress dowagers traveled by boat from the Forbidden City to the Summer Palace to escape the heat, they would stop here to disembark and rest briefly.

　　   Above the mountain gate of the Temple of Longevity hangs a stone plaque bestowed by the Qing Shunzhi Emperor in the second year of his reign, inscribed with “Imperially Commissioned Temple of Longevity for Protecting the Nation.” The brick carvings on the partition walls and the sloping screen walls on both sides of the gate are exquisitely detailed, making them rare masterpieces of art. The tiger-skin-patterned bases of the waist-high walls on both sides, with red walls and white tops, present a striking color contrast. Upon entering the mountain gate, you arrive at the Hall of Heavenly Kings. To the left of the hall is the bell tower, and to the right is the drum tower. The Yongle Bell, once known as the “King of Bells,” was once hung here. In the eighth year of the Qianlong reign, it was moved to the Temple of Awakening (now the Bell and Drum Towers). Beyond the Hall of Heavenly Kings is the Mahavira Hall, which houses clay statues of the Three Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future, the Eighteen Arhats, and the Reversed-Seated Guanyin. On the golden pillars on both sides are couplets written by Emperor Qianlong: “In the radiance of precepts and wisdom, all clouds and mists are Prajna; beyond the realm of cool serenity, all flowers and stones are suchness.” The powerful eunuch Li Lianying, in an attempt to flatter Empress Dowager Cixi, specially commissioned a Guanyin statue resembling her, from which Cixi’s title of “Old Buddha” originated. This Guanyin statue is still placed behind the Three Buddhas today.

　　   The Longevity Pavilion behind the main hall was rebuilt in recent years; the original pavilion was destroyed in a fire during the Republican era. Behind the pavilion is the Grand Meditation Hall, where the abbot would preach the sutras. Behind the hall is a rockery with ancient pines and cypresses, all hundreds of years old. Behind the Grand Meditation Hall is the final courtyard, which contains a rockery symbolizing the three sacred Buddhist mountains of Potala, Emei, and Qingliang, with the Hall of the Three Great Bodhisattvas at the top—Guanyin in the center, Manjushri on the left, and Samantabhadra on the right. Behind the rockery are two ancient ginkgo trees that stand tall and have weathered many centuries. Further back are the Qianlong Imperial Stele Pavilion, the Hall of the Buddha of Infinite Life, the Guangxu Imperial Stele Pavilion, and the Thousand Buddha Pavilion. On both sides of the Hall of the Buddha of Infinite Life were originally two Western-style gates built during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, the same period as the Western-style buildings in the Old Summer Palace, representing a fusion of Chinese and Western styles. These gates connect to the climbing corridors and pavilions in the western section, as well as to the tree-covered earthen hill in the eastern section.

　　   The western section is the temporary palace area, built during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty. The front part consists of four small courtyards, divided in half by a central passageway. The left side is the longevity kitchen, and the right side is the longevity tea room, behind which are the temporary imperial halls for the emperor and empress dowager. Behind the halls are climbing corridors on both sides, leading to a rear tower via small pavilions. Legend has it that Empress Dowager Cixi of the late Qing Dynasty used to dress up here, hence it is called the “Dressing Tower.” Further back are the Hall of Great Mercy and auxiliary halls, with a well pavilion in the courtyard, specially designated for the emperor’s scripture lectures. The eastern section is the abbot’s courtyard. The front part includes a large dining hall, a kitchen, and monks’ quarters, the middle consists of the dining hall, front eaves, and southern rooms, behind the dining hall is an earthen hill, and at the very end is a separate courtyard.

　　   The Beijing Art Museum is a comprehensive art museum “hidden” within this famous ancient temple. It currently houses nearly 50,000 pieces of ancient artworks, dating from primitive society to the Ming and Qing dynasties, with particularly rich collections from the Ming and Qing periods. The collection spans a wide range of categories, mainly including calligraphy and paintings from various dynasties, stone rubbings and letters from notable figures, court embroidery, imperial porcelain, ancient furniture, coins from different eras, and seals. Other items include bronze ware, jade artifacts, bamboo, wood, ivory, and horn carvings, Buddhist statues, snuff bottles, and many more. The paintings and calligraphy include masterpieces by renowned artists such as Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian, and Xu Beihong. The art museum also holds over 100,000 ancient books and volumes dating from the Song Dynasty to the Republic of China.