Beijing ancient temples

For last week's China Cool segment, we introduced you to three temples in Beijing: Zhihua, Tianning and the Lamma temple. In today's edition of China Cool, we continue to take you around some other famous ancient temples in the capital.

Fa Yuan Temple

FaYuanTempleboastsahistorygoingback1300years.

Fa Yuan Temple boasts a history going back 1300 years. It is located in a quiet hutong in the southern part of Beijing. Trees and flowers in the temple grounds are also ancient. They include a pine tree planted during the Yuan dynasty, and a pair of Begonias planted by emperor Qianlong in the Qing dynasty.

FaYuanTempleboastsahistorygoingback1300years.

Seven main buildings as well as six courtyards are arranged from south to north. The main buildings include the Gate of Temple, Bell and Drum towers, Heavenly King Hall, the Hall of Great Compassion and Sutra Hall. Fa Yuan Temple is also home to China 's Buddhist Academy, and the Buddhist Books and Culture Relics Museum of China. It is a key place for nurturing young Buddhist disciples and scholars, and for the research of Buddhist culture.

Taiwan writer Li Ao published a novel called "Fayuan Temple", and it earned him a nomination for the Nobel Prize for Literature. This is another attraction for believers and visitors from far and wide.