The temple was famous for its pagoda, created as duplicate of the better preserved Liao Dynasty pagoda at the Tianning Temple. It was originally known as Yong’anwanshou Pagoda.

The pagoda was built during the Ming Dynasty, when the Empress Dowager Li was reorganizing Buddhist temples inside and outside Old Beijing to consolidate her political position. The pagoda of the Cishou Temple was one of her more famous creations.

The Cishou Temple had a network of large halls including the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Drum Tower, Bell Tower, the pagoda, Yanshou Hall and Ning’an Pavilion. Ultimately it was destroyed in a fire during the Qing Dynasty.

Today the pagoda still stands inside Balizhuang’s Linglong Park. The tower is divided into two layers: the lower one is a three-layer platform with stones set in the corners while the upper one is a double-layer Buddha seat carved with exquisite lotus. Many of the carvings show ancient musical instruments.

Years of weathering have left many of the images blurred and difficult to identify. Originally, each level of the tower had 24 niches and 312 Buddha statues. Severe weathering has exposed the wooden frames behind each relief.