Beijing White Cloud Temple

　　The White Cloud Temple, the foremost Quanzhen Taoist monastery in China, is located about two li outside Xibianmen and is one of the three ancestral temples of Quanzhen Taoism. Since the Yuan Dynasty, it has long been regarded as the “foremost monastery” of Quanzhen Taoism. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, national Taoist organizations, institutions, and research centers such as the Chinese Taoist Association, the Chinese Taoist College, and the Chinese Taoist Culture Research Institute were successively established here. It holds a lofty status in the hearts of Taoists and also attracts large numbers of believers and tourists from both China and abroad with its rich collection of Taoist cultural relics and the most complete preservation.

　　According to the *Comprehensive Survey of Temples in Beiping*, the predecessor of the White Cloud Temple was the ruins of the Tang Dynasty’s Tianchang Temple, which was first built in the 29th year of the Kaiyuan era (741 AD). In the fifth year of the Zhenglong era (1160 AD) during the Jin Dynasty, when the Khitan people from Beijing invaded the south, Tianchang Temple was almost completely destroyed in a fire. In the seventh year of the Dading era (1167 AD), an imperial decree ordered its reconstruction, which took seven years to complete, finishing in March of the 14th year of Dading (1174 AD).

　　After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the government implemented religious policies and protected cultural relics and historic sites. In 1956 and 1981, it twice provided funding to the Taoist community for the restoration of the White Cloud Temple, reviving its temple structures and ancient architectural style. The renovated halls are magnificent and imposing, instantly restoring their former glory. The long-neglected ancestral temple of Quanzhen Taoism has regained the atmosphere of the foremost monastery. In the past, the White Cloud Temple was one of the scenic highlights of Beijing, frequented by literati and poets. Now restored to its former splendor, it offers even more grandeur, enhancing the devotion of believers and the enjoyment of visitors. The state has designated the White Cloud Temple as a nationally important Taoist temple, and the Beijing municipal government has listed it as a key cultural relic protection unit.

　　The White Cloud Temple is the foremost Quanzhen Taoist monastery and also the ancestral temple of the Longmen Sect. Its predecessor was the Tang Dynasty’s Tianchang Temple. According to Liu Jiuxiao of the Tang Dynasty in his *Brief Inscription on the Reconstruction of Tianchang Temple*, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang built this temple to cultivate reverence for the Dao and to worship Laozi. After the Jin Dynasty, it was renamed the Taiji Palace and Chang—, and in the early Ming Dynasty, it was renamed the White Cloud Temple. It is a cultural relic protection unit of Beijing. The existing halls of the White Cloud Temple were rebuilt during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Upon entering the mountain gate, there are central, eastern, and western routes as well as a rear courtyard, covering a vast area. The central route includes, in sequence, the Hall of the Divine Official, the Hall of the Jade Emperor, the Hall of the Grand Precepts, the Hall of Patriarch Qiu, the Hall of the Three Pure Ones, the Hall of the Four Sovereigns, and the Bell and Drum Towers. To the east of the Hall of the Three Pure Ones is the Scripture Depository. The eastern route includes the Hall of the Southern Pole, the Doumu Pavilion, and the Tower of Luo Gong; the western route includes the Hall of Patriarch Lü, the Hall of the Eight Immortals, the Hall of the Goddess, the Hall of Wenchang, the Hall of the Year Star, and the Ancestral Hall Courtyard. On the walls of the left and right chambers in the Ancestral Hall Courtyard are stone carvings of the *Dao De Jing* and the *Yin Fu Jing*, inscribed by the Yuan Dynasty calligrapher Zhao Mengfu. The rear courtyard is called the Cloud Gathering Garden, also known as Little Penglai. The garden centers around the Precept Platform and the Cloud Gathering Mountain Hut, with rockeries scattered throughout, surrounded by corridors, the Yunhua Immortal Hall, the Youhe Pavilion, the Miaoxiang Pavilion, and the Retiring Tower, all shaded by green trees in a serene and refreshing setting that captivates visitors.

Address: No. 9 Baiyun Guan Street, Xicheng District, Beijing

Ticket price: 10 RMB

Opening hours: 08:30–16:30

Best season to visit: All year round

Recommended visiting time: 2 hours

Cultural relic protection status: National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit

Parking: There is almost no parking available near the White Cloud Temple. During temple fair periods, traffic management authorities will designate vehicle parking areas on the north and south banks west of Baiyun Bridge on the moat, as well as on the north bank west of Baiyun Bridge.

Beijing White Cloud Temple is aAAAA-level attraction