The Yin Mountain Pagoda Forest Scenic Area is situated in the southwest ofHaiziVillage, Changping District five km east of the Ming Tombs. Featuring beautiful natural landscapes and a forest of pagodas, this intriguing scenic area lures visitors from both home and abroad. In the winter, the snow-covered Yinshan (literally, “SilverMountain”), with three steep peaks and black cliffs, shows off her special charms. The cliffs, composed of black granite, look like iron walls and contrast sharply with the snow-covered mountain cap, earning it the name "IronWallSilverMountain." Colorful pine, oak and cypress trees blanket this amazing mountain, creating a spectacular array of colors.

During the Liao and Jin Dynasties, many Buddhist temples were built around Yinshan. It is said that there were as many as seventy-two temples at one time, with Yanshou, also called Fahua Temple, built in 1125, the grandest of them all. The pagoda forest was actually the cemetery of the temple monks. Today only seven pagodas still stand, five built during the Jin Dynasty and two during the Yuan Dynasty. All five Jin Dynasty pagodas are multi-eaved brick structures on huge Sumeru platforms. The platforms and the first story of the pagodas are covered by beautiful relief carvings. Under the eaves are brick brackets. From the first story on up, short eaves, close together, are spaced at between twenty and thirty meter-intervals, making them resemble ordinary pagodas rather than tomb pagodas. The two Yuan Dynasty pagodas are smaller, but each has its own characteristics. One is a multi-eaved pagoda with brick brackets under the eaves. Its inward-curving lines give it a special elegance. The other is a combination of multi-eaved and inverted-bowl styles. It fills a special position in the architectural art of Buddhist pagodas dating to the Jin and Yuan dynasties in theBeijingarea. In addition, an ancient lectern and many tablet inscriptions are also worth visiting. This scenic area is indeed an ideal place to appreciate natural scenery and research ancient Chinese Buddhism and architecture.

Location:XihuVillage,XingshouTownship, Changping District,Beijing.

Admission: 20 yuan (Apr.–Oct.); 15 yuan (Nov.–Mar.)

Open Hours: 08:00 a.m. to 17:30 p.m. (Apr.–Oct.); 08:00 a.m. to 17:00 p.m. (Nov.–Mar.)

Bus Routes: take Bus 345, 345 Express, 919, or 845 to Changping Beizhan and change to Minibus 31 to Humen.

Telephone: +86-10-89726426

Star Rating: AAAA