China Beijing Hongluo Temple

Hongluo Temple was built during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It is a Buddhist garden in northern China, and there is the saying “South has Putuo, North has Hongluo”. It has been a sacred place for praying for blessings in Beijing since ancient times.The temple is full of ancient trees, and the characteristics of Hongluo Temple are “viewing flowers in spring, escaping the summer heat, admiring the red leaves in autumn, and appreciating the three friends of winter”.

Hongluo Temple is divided into two parts: the main Hongluo Temple area near the main hall and the Five Hundred Luohan Forest, and the Guanyin Temple at the top of the mountain, which is said to be extremely effective for praying for children.There are incense offerings available throughout the temple, and there is no requirement for an offering; it all depends on the visitor’s affinity.

The main temple area and the Five Hundred Arhats Forest are not very large, with a circumference of a few hundred meters, and it takes about an hour to walk around and explore them.In addition to praying for blessings, the main temple area is mainly for appreciating the large number of plants in Hongluo Temple. Among them, there are three scenic spots, “Imperial Bamboo Grove”, “Male and Female Ginkgo” and “Wisteria by the Pine”, which are known as the threesceneries.

Imperial Bamboo Grove

The Imperial Bamboo Grove is located in front of the main gate. There are currently millions of bamboo trees in the grove, which has been planted for more than 600 years. Emperor Kangxi once specifically ordered that it be maintained, and it is now flourishing and very spectacular.

Wisteria and pine

Wisteria and pine is located in the courtyard behind the main hall. Two wisteria trees with a diameter of about 30 cm have grown around the branches of a flat-topped pine tree.Every year in early May, the entire tree is covered with wisteria flowers, which look like strings of purple agates, forming a beautiful umbrella of flowers.

Male and female ginkgo

The male and female ginkgo refer to the two ancient ginkgo trees in front of the main hall of the temple. The eastern tree is female and bears fruit but no flowers, while the western tree is male and bears flowers but no fruit.Both trees are tall and thick, and are over a thousand years old.The slightly larger male tree is more than 30 meters high and has a circumference of 7 meters, which is quite spectacular.It is amazing that it grows ten straight branches from the root, which develop upward in a peculiar shape.And every autumn, the golden ginkgo leaves set off the main hall in all its glory, attracting people to stop and linger.

After touring the temple, you can climb the back mountain along the trail. There are about 1,000 steps, and it usually takes more than two hours to reach the Guanyin Temple at the top of the mountain.It is very interesting to see the different appearances of the Guanyin Bodhisattva statues that appear before you after every stretch of the road.The Guanyin Temple at the top of the mountain is said to be very effective for praying for children, and many people come here to worship.Looking back from the top of the mountain, the town and other sights can be seen in the distance, and the view is very open.

If you don’t have enough energy, you can also take the scenic slide to go up and down the mountain. The slide is about 800 meters long and leads directly to the Guanyin Temple at the top of the mountain.