Spots inside Badachu Park - Chang'an Temple

2022-05-20

Chang'an Temple is located more than half a mile south of the park gate. Founded in the 17th year of Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty (1504), it was originally named " Shan Ying Temple". Later, it has been rebuilt twice during the Shunzhi period (1659) and the Kangxi period (1671) in the Qing Dynasty. The scale of the temple grew larger and was renamed "Chang'an Temple". 

Relying on the Cuiwei Mountain, Chang'an Temple sits in the west facing east. It is surrounded by red walls and consists of two quadrangles. At the entrance is a brick and stone screen wall, on which there are four characters "Huan Tian Xi Di". Along the westward path, you can climb dozens of steps to the temple's Mountain Gate Hall. The hall is dedicated to the statue of Guan Yu, so it is also called "Guan Gong Hall". Walking backward are the Hall of the Great Hero and the Hall of the Great Master. The two whitebark trees in front of the temple are particularly eye-catching. Despite hundreds of years of vicissitudes, they are still flourishing and take a place among the famous trees in the capital. 

Chang'an Temple was once a famous temple in the Xishan Mountains. The original five hundred statues of Arhats in Chang'an Temple have not survived. According to the historical materials of the Ming Dynasty, the four pines in the temple are the most wondrous. The gate of the temple is listed with ten Heavenly Soldiers, which is extremely weird, and there are five hundred arhats under the roof. From this, we can imagine the status and appearance of Chang'an Temple back then. Chang'an Temple was destroyed during the Great Cultural Revolution and has not been restored to its original appearance. Nowadays, it is not open to the public.

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