Tongjiao Temple () is a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...

located in Dongcheng District of

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 covers an area of . Now it is the only Bhikkhuni temple in Beijing. It was inscribed to the

National Key Buddhist Temples in Han Chinese Area National Key Buddhist Temples in Han Chinese Area are national key ("important") Buddhist temples in areas traditionally associated with the Han Chinese in the People's Republic of China (excluding Inner Mongolia, Tibet, and Xinjiang). The list was ...

's list in 1983.

History

Tongjiao Temple was first established by an

eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...

in the

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), the modern temple was founded in the

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) and initially called "Tongjiao Chanlin" (), and it served as a practice center for Bhikkhuni. At the dawn of the

Republic of China (1912-1949) Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

, the temple became dilapidated for neglect. In 1941, there only had a Bhikkhuni named Yinhe (). In 1942, eminent Bhikkhuni Cizhou's () disciples Kaihui (), Tongyuan () and Shengyu () began to rebuild the temple. The South Hall, North Hall, Recitation Hall, Wuguan Hall were added to the temple. And the temple was renamed "Tongjiao Temple". They founded "Bajing Xueyuan" (), a Buddhist school which became well-known at that time. In 1956, in order to avoid the vigorous movement of

socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

in Beijing at that time, Kaihui and Tongyuan moved to

Mount Wutai Mount Wutai, also known by its Chinese name Wutaishan and as is a sacred Buddhist site at the headwaters of the Qingshui in Shanxi Province, China. Its central area is surrounded by a cluster of flat-topped peaks roughly corresponding to the c ...

, where Kaihui died there in the mid-1960s. During the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

, the Red Guards had attacked the temple. Buddhist statues and Buddhist scriptures were destroyed and Bhikkhuni forced to resume secular life. After the 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, according to the national policy of free religious belief, Tongjiao Temple was reopened and rebuilt soon. In 1983, Tongjiao Temple was listed among the first group of the National Key Buddhist Temple in Han Chinese Area by the

State Council of China The State Council, constitutionally synonymous with the Central People's Government since 1954 (particularly in relation to local governments), is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the p ...

. In January 1984, Tongjiao Temple was categorized as a municipal level key cultural heritage in Beijing.

Architecture

Tongjiao Temple has more than 10 buildings. The complex includes the following halls: Shanmen,

Mahavira Hall A Mahavira Hall, usually simply known as a Main Hall, is the main hall or building in a traditional Chinese Buddhist temple, enshrining representations of Gautama Buddha and various other buddhas and bodhisattvas. It is encountered throughout ...

, Hall of Sangharama Palace, Reception Hall, Dining Hall, Hall of Guru, and Bedrooms.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tongjiao Temple Dongcheng District, Beijing Buddhist temples in Beijing Tourist attractions in Beijing 15th-century Buddhist temples 15th-century establishments in China