Beijing, steeped in history and traditional Chinese architectural marvels, also boasts diverse Southeast Asian and Japanese-style attractions. Let's explore these distinctly Asian spots within Beijing, immersing ourselves in the beauty of the East without leaving the city!

Beijing Stone Carving Art Museum

With a history of more than 600 years, Zhenjue temple has the most beautiful Vajra throne tower in China, and the two ginkgo trees in front of the tower are the same age as the Temple, attracting a large number of tourists every autumn.

The Beijing Stone Carving Art Museum stands on the site of the Zhenjue Temple. Built during the Ming Dynasty's Yongle period by Emperor Zhu Di for the Indian monk Ban Di Da, the temple, completed in 1473, is popularly known as the Wuta Temple due to the presence of five four-cornered eaves on its stupa.

The museum exhibits the Kongo-ji stupa, blending Indian cultural motifs with traditional Chinese architectural styles, symbolizing a fusion of Chinese architecture with foreign influences, and offering a distinctly Southeast Asian flavor. The western section showcases stone carvings from 28 tombs and numerous temple inscriptions, narrating diverse activities at temples and monasteries. Moreover, the museum hosts a Beijing stone carving culture exhibition, attracting calligraphy and stone carving enthusiasts.

Address: No. 24 Wuta Temple Village, Haidian District, Beijing

Shuangxiu Park

Comprising both a Chinese-style garden and a Japanese-style garden, Shuangxiu Park is the only park in Beijing with authentic Japanese garden architecture. Known for its serene landscapes and graceful water features, the park features the Cuishi Garden and the Huifang Garden, thus named "Shuangxiu", with building materials donated by Japanese friends.

Embracing the elegance of Chinese gardens and the tranquility of Japanese landscapes, the Cuishi Garden, located in the park's northeast corner, is characterized by its antique appearance. Featuring pavilions, bridges, and a central hall in Japanese style, it is adorned by a pond with two islands, symbolizing auspiciousness. The addition of cherry blossoms further enhances the Japanese ambiance.

The park's pavilion-style architecture is simple yet elegant, offering open corridors as transitional spaces, exuding vitality and the purity of harmony with its surroundings. On the top of the four slopes of the pavilion, there are wide cornices upturned, in addition, there are gardens, sculptures and other landscape foil, simple and beautiful.

Shuangxiu Park embodies the fusion of architectural cultural essence, human unity with nature, and distinctive humanism, centered around people. Its unique location, structure, and construction set it apart from Western architectural features, establishing a new realm in oriental architectural style.

Address: No. 20 Beisanhuan Middle Road, Xicheng District, Beijing

Beijing Tramway Western Suburb Line

Beijing Tramway Western Suburb Line, the city's first modern tram line operated by public transport, commenced operations in December 2017, identified by its distinctive crimson color, running from Bagou Station to Xiangshan Station.

Because it passes through scenic areas historically known as the "Three Mountains and Five Gardens," the scenery along the way is very beautiful, earning it the moniker of the "most Japanese-style" metro line among netizens. The clean and tidy red-and-white train carriages run along grass-covered tracks. On a clear day against a backdrop of blue skies and white clouds, the experience feels akin to traversing scenes from Hayao Miyazaki's animations—an ideal destination for pretending to be in Japan.

Address: Bagou Station to Xiangshan Station

Baita Temple

Miaoying Temple, popularly known as Baita Temple, dates back to the Yuan Dynasty and belongs to the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The most iconic structure within the temple, the White Pagoda, exhibits a distinct foreign architectural style.

The historical origins of the Baita Temple traced back to the Yong'an Temple constructed during the Liao Dynasty. Ravaged by war at the transition from the Jin Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty, only the Shakyamuni stupa survived. To preserve the relics and offer blessings for the newly established Dadu (present-day Beijing), Emperor Kublai Khan decided to construct a new pagoda on the original site. The entirely white pagoda, towering over Beijing city, earned the moniker "Jincheng Yuta" (Golden City, Jade Pagoda), showcasing the dignity and authority of the Great Yuan Empire. Emperor Qianlong later placed a collection of rare Buddhist treasures inside the pagoda as a safeguard.

In addition to the pagoda, a temple named "Dashengshou Wan'an Temple," known today as Miaoying Temple, was built around it. Over the years, the temple underwent numerous renovations until the eighth year of the Ming Emperor Xuande's reign, renamed Miaoying Temple.

During the Qing Dynasty's mid-late period, Miaoying Temple evolved into one of Beijing's renowned temple fairs. During festive occasions, particularly on the 8th of August, the temple bustled with life, leading to the local tradition of visiting the Miaoying Temple .

Address: No. 171 Fuchengmennei Street, Xicheng District, Beijing