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White Cloud Temple 北京白云观

Baiyun Guan 白云观
White Cloud Temple
Temple of Founder Qiu 邱祖殿

Above, the beams supporting the ceiling are decorated with clouds and flowers. Below, the paintings above the doorway include a pair of playful dragons, flowers, and the ends of the beams shown at the top are painted with Buddha's eye.

Temple of Founder Qiu 邱祖殿 was built in 1443 under the reign of Emperor Yingzong during the Ming Dynasty. It was first named Yangqing Temple 衍庆殿, and then Zhenji Temple 贞寂堂. Later, the name was changed to Qiuzu Dian 邱祖殿 (Qiūzǔ Diàn), the Temple of Founder Qiu since it was dedicated to his memory. In addition to the wall sculptures, the temple features a large wooden bowl in the center called the Ying Bowl 瘿钵. It was given by Emperor Qianlong 乾隆 (Qiánlóng, 1711–1799) of the Qing Dynasty. It is said that the remains of Qiu Chuji (Qiu Changchun) are buried beneath it. Emperor Qianlong promised that if the temple were ever in trouble, all they had to do was bring the bowl to the palace and it would be filled with all the provisions they would need to survive.



White Cloud Temple 北京白云观









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Last update: October 2009
© Marilyn Shea, 2009