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White Tower Temple

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Go along a short walk east from Fuchengmen (Fucheng Gate) Subway Station. You will see a towering dagoba on your left, the north side of Fuchengmen Nei Street. It is one of two famous white dagobas in Beijing, which is 15 meters (49 feet) taller than the White Dagoba in Beihai Park. The White Tower (Baita) Temple built around the dagoba has a history of over 700 years, featuring the largest Tibetan dagoba in China.

Originally, the temple was first built in 1096 during the Liao Dynasty (916 - 1125). In the year 1271, the Mongolian leader Kublai Khan united the country and founded the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368). To enhance the relationship between his empire and the religious power in Tibet, Kublai Khan granted imperial permission to build the Lamaist White Dagoba. In 1271 the original pagoda was knocked down and a new Lamaist dagoba, on a larger scale, was erected. The construction project was directed by the Nepali architect Aniko and it was completed in 1279. That is the dagoba we see today. The White Tower Temple functioned as an imperial temple during the Yuan Dynasty when Beijing was named Dadu. A ceremony for Kublai Khan was held here when he died.

In 1457 Emperor Tianshun of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) commanded a reconstruction of the temple which then covered an area of 13,000 square meters (3.2 acres), much smaller than its original dimensions. Then it was renamed Miaoying Si ('si' means temple). The temple complex has retained the same layout since then until today. It is now under the state protection. The temple mainly consists of the White Dagoba and four main halls. One highlight for visitors is inside Dajue Dian (Hall of the Great Enlightened Ones), the first main hall; it contains thousands of small golden Buddhas, which are now enclosed in glass cases.

The White Dagoba is higher than the neighborhood at 51meters (167 feet) and has a diameter of over 30 meters (98 feet) at its base. It is composed of five major sections: a terrace platform, a lotus bud shaped body painted white with lime and holding sealed religious artefacts, a steeple of thirteen shrinking layers (known as the 'thirteen heavens'), a beaten bronze canopy with 36 bronze bells hanging from its rim, and a spire. Unlike most dagobas which have a crescent moon or a precious bead at the top, this dagoba has a small bronze Lamaist sutra mounted on the steeple's canopy.

 Entrance Fee: CNY 20 (adults); CNY 10 (kids under 1.2 m) 

 Opening Hours: 08:30 - 17:30 

 Bus Routes: Take Bus No. 7, 13, 42, 101, 102, 103, 709, 846 or 850 and get off at Baitasi (White Tower Temple) Stop.

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