Jietai Temple () is a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

Mentougou District Mentougou District () is a district in western Beijing. Spanning , with 266,591 inhabitants (2000 Census), it is subdivided into 4 subdistricts of the city proper of Beijing and 9 towns (1 of which is a suburb of the city proper of Beijing). It bor ...

in western

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. It was constructed during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

, with major modifications made during the

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

and

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...

Dynasties A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A d ...

. Like the older

Tanzhe Temple The Tanzhe Temple () is a Buddhist temple situated in the Western Hills, a mountainous area in western Beijing. At one time, it was one of the most important temples in the nation. The temple is located near China National Highway 108 in the Ment ...

nearby along

China National Highway 108 China National Highway 108 (G108) is a National Highway which connects Beijing through Chengdu to Kunming. In Beijing it is known as Jingyuan Road. It leaves Beijing at Fuxingmen and heads for Yamenkou, before heading into hillier terrain and le ...

, Jietai Temple is now a tourist attraction of Beijing. The temple is located on the mountainside of the Ma'an mountain approximately 25 kilometers from downtown Beijing. It was first built in the Kaihuang period of the

Sui Dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...

(581-600) and was originally called the Huiju Temple (Wisdom Accumulation Temple). The ordination altar in Jietai Temple is known as one of the three largest ordination altars in China together with the other two in Kaiyuan Temple in

Quanzhou Quanzhou, postal map romanization, alternatively known as Chinchew, is a prefecture-level city, prefecture-level port city on the north bank of the Jin River, beside the Taiwan Strait in southern Fujian, China. It is Fujian's largest metrop ...

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

and Zhaoqing Temple in

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

. As it has largest construction scale, so it is also called the "First Altar in the World" ().

History

Jietai Temple was first built in 622, in the 5th year of Wude period in the

(618–907) with the name of "Huiju Temple" (). In 1069, in the 5th year of Xianyong period in the

Liao dynasty The Liao dynasty (; Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed between 916 and 1125, ruled by the Yelü ...

(907–1125), master Fajun () founded the ordination altar in the temple. Monks from different areas gathered here to observe the precepts, hence the name "Jietan Temple" (; Jietan means the ordination altar).

Architecture

Jietan Hall (Hall of Ordination Altar)

Jietan Hall is the most important hall in Jietai Temple. It was first built in 1069, in the 5th year of Xianyong period in the

(907–1125) and was renovated in the Jin dynasty (1115–1234),

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

(1279–1368),

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

(1368–1644) and

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

(1644–1911). It still preserves the architectural style of the Liao dynasty. Inside the hall, a plaque with "" ( means after observing precepts in the temple, monks can write their own books) written by

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...

is hung on the

architrave In classical architecture, an architrave (; from it, architrave "chief beam", also called an epistyle; from Greek ἐπίστυλον ''epistylon'' "door frame") is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of columns. The term can ...

. Another plaque with "" written by

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to 1 ...

is hung in the interior side of the architrave. A large square ordination altar which is high and made of bluestone is placed in the middle of the hall. The three layers of the ordination altar are all shaped in Sumeru thrones with carved patterns of clouds and grass. It is surrounded by niches enshrining colored clay sculptures of "deities of precepts" (). On the ordination altar enshrines a clay statue of

Sakyamuni Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...

which is sitting on a high

lotus throne In Asian art a lotus throne, sometimes lotus platform, is a stylized lotus flower used as the seat or base for a figure. It is the normal pedestal for divine figures in Buddhist art and Hindu art, and often seen in Jain art. Originating in Indi ...

. In front of the Buddha statue, ten

red sandalwood ''Pterocarpus santalinus'', with the common names red sanders, red saunders, protect it Yerra Chandanam, Chenchandanam, red sandalwood, Rakta Chandana, and saunderswood, is a species of ''Pterocarpus'' endemic to the southern Eastern Ghats mou ...

chairs and ten dragon-carved desks are put for the 10 precept masters who will witness the precepts ceremony, namely three masters to witness the ceremony and seven to prove it.

Other

Pine trees

Jietai Temple is also renowned for its old and grotesque

pine tree A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

s. They were mostly planted in the

(618–907) and

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

(960–1279), and have formed a varied grotesque appearance in the thousand years since. In the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368–1911), the "Ten Grotesque Pine Trees" () were known to the world, which attracted many literati to come and compose poems to eulogize them. Some well-known old pine trees are Leisure Pine Tree (), Lying Dragon Pine Tree (), Nine Dragon Pine Tree (), Pagoda Embracing Pine Tree (), Active Pine Tree () and so on.

Gallery

References

{{Buddhist temples in Beijing 7th-century Buddhist temples Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Beijing Buddhist temples in Beijing Mentougou District Religious buildings and structures completed in 622