Five Padoga Temple 五塔寺
西直门外白石桥五塔寺村24号，动物园的后面
Part of A Better Guide to Běijīng’s coverage of Northwest Beyond the Zoo
The single remaining ancient building at what is properly the Zhēnjué Sì (真觉寺, Temple of True Enlightenment) gives the site its modern name. It’s refreshingly different from other temples in Běijīng, with the exception of the Temple of the Azure Clouds, which is a partly Sinicised copy built more than three centuries later, and another in roughly the same architectural language at the Xī Huáng Sì, which at the time of writing hadn’t yet opened to visitors.
The surrounding space is the Museum of Carved Stone Art (北京石刻艺术博物馆, Běijīng Shíkè Yìshù Bówùguǎn), a graveyard for around 500 pieces of stonework from now-destroyed temples, guildhalls, and other monuments.
Completed just after the Míng Yǒnglè reign (1403–24), the Wǔ Tǎ itself is a stone cube carved in relief with rows of Buddha figures, wheels of life, various animals, Sanskrit characters, lotuses, etc., topped with five stepped and carved spires of an obviously Indian flavour, and a small pavilion with a circular yellow roof.
The whole is said to be based on a small model of the Diamond Temple at Bodhgaya in the Indian state of Bihar, a town sacred to Buddhists as the place the historical Buddha gained enlightenment. The model was brought to Yǒnglè in 1417 by an Indian monk called Sariputra who had previously spent three years as abbot of the temple at Bodhgaya. He was perhaps returning the call made by the Chinese monk Xuánzàng (玄奘), who had visited Bodhgaya in the 7th century.
The tiered pagodas on the roof are carved with further rows of Buddhas and other images of elephants and other beasts, more than 1500 in all. The central one has a life-size relief of the soles of a pair of feet, traditionally a representation of those of the Buddha himself. Since the building is not made of wood, it’s one of the few in Běijīng whose original construction has mostly survived to the present day.
Some authorities put the disappearance of the remainder of the temple down to retributive action of foreign troops in both 1860 and 1900, but if so the Chinese are surprisingly quiet about it. The remainder of the site is a kind of hostel for orphaned carved stonework of all kinds. The inevitable stelae are complemented by a large collection of Tibetan images, Buddha figures, animals and life size figures from rows of tomb guardians, all perhaps the final remains of the dozens of now destroyed temples, gates, and tombs around the city. Some of the stelae are from now-demolished guildhalls, setting out the rules of membership (see Joining the Club). Other oddities include a memorial to Sūn Zhōngshān (Sun Yat-sen) and a tomb in the shape of a pavilion complete with fake doors, pillars, and roof with the brackets carved in the stone.
▶ Wǔ Tǎ Sì, Xī Zhí Mén Wài Báishí Qiáo Wǔ Tǎ Sì Cūn 24, behind the zoo, t 6217 3543, 8.30am–3.30pm, closed Mon. ¥20 inc. ¥5 to climb the tower. m National Library (Line 4). b as for Běijīng Zoo, or to 白石桥北: 92, 332.
Reach the temple through the Zoo, or walk up the Zoo’s west side on Zhōng Guān Cūn Nán Dàjiē (中关村南大街) until you cross the Cháng Hé (river) and turn right along a lane that follows its north bank.
There’s an audio tour available for ¥5 with a deposit of ¥100, but the staff themselves say it’s no good.
The rear entrance to the Zoo is over the humpback bridge across the canal directly to the south of the temple’s main entrance. Walk back west and turn south at Zhōng Guān Cūn Nán Dàjiē to find a stop for b 332 to the Summer Palace. Or cross the road and walk west through Purple Bamboo Park to the Wànshòu Sì by simply following the river’s north bank.
Next in Northwest Beyond the Zoo: Purple Bamboo Park
Previously: Paleozoological Museum of China
Main Index of A Better Guide to Beijing.
For discussion of China travel, see The Oriental-List.
