Guangren Temple 广仁寺

About Guangren Temple

Established under the Kangxi emperor in 1705, it belongs to the Gelug tradition and has a particular association with Green Tara. Its enclosed sequence of halls makes a compact visit: the Green Tara Hall and the Thousand Buddha Hall reward attention to their different devotional images, rather than a hurried circuit of the courtyard.

The temple was built by imperial decree during the Kangxi Emperor's (康熙帝) western inspection tour, with construction beginning in 1703 and completed in 1705. It served as a lodging for lamas and living Buddhas from Tibet, Qinghai and Gansu travelling to Beijing, linking the Qing court with religious leaders of the northwest, Tibet and Mongolia; a stele inscribed in the Kangxi Emperor's own hand survives there. After the Qing fell in 1911 the temple became a local government office, and in 1931 bombing destroyed the abbot's room, which was later rebuilt with Yang Hucheng's support.

The complex is divided into front, middle and east courtyards. The front courtyard's iron flagpoles carry coiled dragons and inscriptions in Mongolian and Chinese. The east courtyard housed the Panchen and Dalai Lamas (班禅、达赖), with rooms for meditation, rest and religious practice, together with accommodation and storage for accompanying lamas. In 1952 the temple was renovated with state funding, and in 1983 the State Council designated it a National Key Buddhist Temple in Han Chinese Areas. It continues to function as a Tibetan Buddhist place of worship.

What to look for

• Green Tara Hall, the temple’s principal devotional focus.
• Thousand Buddha Hall and the many Buddhist images surrounding its central shrine.

Location & getting there

Getting to Guangren Temple

Go to 152 Xibei First Road in Lianhu District, inside the northwest corner of the city wall.

• Yuxiangmen is a useful metro approach; continue to the temple’s Xibei First Road entrance.