City of Gods: Religious Worship in Beijing

City of Gods: Religious Worship in Beijing
By Fred Dintenfass , eChinacities.com

From missionaries to mosques, religion in Beijing has not been confined to Buddhism and Taoism. Today, there are many religious communities flourishing in Beijing, and Catholics and Christians, Jews and Muslims, Taoists and Buddhists all have a multitude of options for celebrating their faith. This article looks at venues for religious worship in Beijing, with an emphasis on historic buildings which offer both religious services and a glimpse into Beijing’s rich religious history.


Tanzhe Temple, Bejing

Temples
When the Qing official who you used to reside in the Yonghegong Lama Temple ascended to the throne in 1723, the Lamasery’s color theme was changed – the turquoise tiles that represented Buddhism were replaced with Imperial yellow ones. Legend has it that Zhou Enlai stepped in to save Yonghegong from destruction during the Cultural Revolution. Today, it houses studying monks and also, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the world’s largest Buddha carved out of a single piece of wood. Unfortunately for casual worshippers, entrance will set you back 25 RMB.

The largest Taoist temple in Beijing, White Cloud Temple (also known as Baiyun Guan) dates back to the Tang Dynasty. It survived Mongol attacks in the 13th century, but not every novice monk survived the brutal 100 day ordination ritual. Currently home to the Chinese Taoist Association, the sprawling temple compound includes a library stocked with nearly 5,500 classic Taoist texts. A birthday party for Qiu Chuji, the temple’s spiritual leader in the 12th century, is held on the 19th day of the first lunar month (a few weeks after the start of the Spring Festival). The expectation is that one year Qiu himself will attend, returned to earth as an immortal – definitely an event you do not want to miss.

The oldest surviving Buddhist temple in Beijijng, Fayuan Temple was built during the Tang Dynasty and rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty. The temple houses the China Buddhism Institution as well as the China Buddhism Library and Relic Centre and young monks come to the 6,700 sq m temple to study.

Though its sibling, Donghuang Temple, was demolished during the Great Leap Forward, Xihuang Temple survives today as one of Beijing’s relatively few Lamist temples. Donghuang was built in the mid-1600s to house the 5th Dalai Lama during his Beijing visit. Xihuang was built shortly after and the 6th Panchen Lama stayed there during the Qianlong Emperor’s birthday celebrations. After the Lama’s death, Qianlong had a pagoda built on the temple site where his clothing and books were kept. Today, the Tibetan Senior Buddhism College calls Xihuang home.

Roughly 48 km (30 miles) from Beijing, Tanzhe Temple makes for an excellent daytrip. Read all about it here.

Located in a hutong near Dongzhimen, Tongjiao Temple may lack the size or history of the other temples on this list but as an active Buddhist temple and convent for Buddhist nuns, it will be of interest to those whose interest in Buddhism extends beyond Beastie Boys-sponsored concerts. Built during the Jin Dynasty and overhauled during the Ming Dynasty, Guangji Temple is the headquarters of the Buddhist Association of China and its vast library contains 100,000 religious texts in more than a dozen languages.


Niu Jie Mosque, Beijing

Mosques
Islam has been present in Beijing since traders from Central Asia brought it to China during the Tang Dynasty and grew rapidly during the Yuan Dynasty. Today, China’s Muslim population is over 100 million strong. There are several Muslim ethnic groups and regions in China, and Beijing alone has dozens of mosques.

The oldest, Niu Jie Mosque was built in 996 AD by an Arabic scholar and expanded by the Kangxi Emperor during the Qing Dynasty. Because of restrictions placed on the mosque’s original architects, from the street, the mosque resembles many traditional Chinese buildings. Inside however, the décor is mostly Muslim influenced. The surrounding Xuanwu District is home to the largest Muslim community in Beijing.

Built in 1447, the Dongsi Mosque, was funded by a Chinese general and originally named by the Ming Emperor. The buildings minaret collapsed in 1908, but the Repository Hall, fashioned entirely from wood and without beams, is still intact. Three Imams lead the five daily prayers and Friday Jum’ah services. Upon request, the Imams also do weddings, funerals and other important occasions.

Synagogues
Though there are no synagogues in Beijing, regular services can be found at the Chabad Lubavitch of Beijing (http://www.chabadbeijing.com/) and at Kehillat Beijing (http://www.sinogogue.org).

 


Chongwenmen Church, Beijing

 

Churches
Founded in 1870 in Beijing by American Methodists, Chongwenmen Church is still going strong. Every Sunday they hold five services, four in Mandarin and one in Korean. Thanks to the miracle of simultaneous translation, English speakers can enjoy the services as well. See their website (http://www.chwmch.com/En-index.asp) for a schedule and more information. 

Known by many names, Xishiku Cathedral, (aka North Cathedral or Saviour Church) is the seat of the Beijing Cardinal Bishop Office and affiliated with the Patriotic Catholic Church of China. The gothic cathedral has seen many incarnations since it was founded by Jesuits in 1703. The Kangxi Emperor gave the Jesuits the land and wrote a plaque for the church himself. The expansion of Zhongnanhai caused the church to be moved in 1887; its current marble facade was built in 1890.

Another one of Beijing’s four big Catholic cathedrals, Xizhimen Church, also known as Beijing Western Church, was founded in 1723. Though it was the last of the big four, it was the capital’s first non-Jesuit church. It was destroyed in 1811 and again during the Boxer Rebellion. The current gothic structure was erected in 1912.

St. Joseph’s and Xuanwumen Church (also known as Southern Church) are two more famous Beijing churches. You can read more about them here. Hulking cathedrals aren’t the only places for worship in Beijing, you can find more about Christian worship in Beijing here.

This list may be expanding soon – in February 2009, the Beijing government announced plans to restore 12 churches, mosques and temples in Beijing.

Venue listing:
Temples
Yonghegong Lama Temple 雍和宫
White Cloud Temple (Baiyun Guan) 白云观
Tanzhe Temple 潭柘寺

Fayuan Temple 法源寺View In Map
Add: 7 Fayuan Si Qian Jie, Xuanwumen District, Beijing
地址: 北京市西城区法源寺前街7号
Tel: 010 6317 2150
Opening hours:
Price: 5 RMB

Xihuang Temple 西黄寺 View In Map
Add: 11 Huangsi Dajie, Chaoyang District, Beijing
地址: 北京市朝阳区黄寺大街11号

Tongjiao Temple 通教寺 View In Map
Add: 19 Zhenxian Hutong, Dongzhimen Bei Xiao Jie, Dongcheng District, Beijing
地址: 北京市东城区东直门北小街针线胡同19号
Tel: 010 6405 5918
Opening hours: 6:00-16:30
Price: Free

Guangji Temple广济寺View In Map
Add: 25 Fuchengmen Neidajie, Dongcheng District, Beijing
地址: 北京市西城区阜成门内大街2号
Tel: 010 6617 3330
Opening hours: 8:40-17:30
Price: Free

Mosques
Niu Jie Mosque 牛街清真寺
Dongsi Mosque 东四清真寺

Synagogues
Chabad Lubavitch of Beijing
Kehillat Beijing

Churches
Chongwenmen Church崇文门教堂
Xishiku Cathedral (Northern Church) 西什库天主堂
Xizhimen Church (Western Church) 西直门教堂
Church of St. Joseph (Eastern Church) 王府井天主堂
Xuanwumen Church (Southern Church) 宣武门堂  

 

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Keywords: Religious worship beijing religious services beijing synagogues beijing religious assemblies beijing mosques beijing churches beijing

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