Autumn trip to the ancient temples in western Beijing

Autumn is the most beautiful season in Beijing, with colorful forests, mountain climbing, autumn viewing, camping, moon watching and star gazing can all be arranged. In Mentougou, western Beijing, there are two ancient temples, Tanzhe Temple and Jietan Temple, which have been the places for literati to enjoy autumn and pray for blessings since ancient times. Mr. Zhu Ziqing explored this path of seeking seclusion in the ancient temples nearly a hundred years ago and wrote the article 'Tanzhe Temple Jietan Temple'. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, I followed his footsteps to meet the new western Beijing and entered the autumn scenery of mountains and rivers. √Tanzhe Temple 'Tanzhe Temple existed before Beijing', with a history of more than 1700 years, 'Jiafu Temple', 'Xiuyun Zen Temple' is the oldest temple in Beijing area. The temple faces south with its back to Baozhu Peak, built along the mountain. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, it was a royal temple and was very prosperous. The architectural specifications are the same as those of the Forbidden City, with a grand momentum, double-eave roofs, and colorful paintings, all the beams are dragons, and all the plaques are written by the emperors of the Qing Dynasty. There is a huge ginkgo tree with a thousand years of age, also known as the emperor tree. Every autumn, around November, the tree is golden and very spectacular, making it one of the most popular autumn viewing spots in Beijing. The incense in the temple is very strong, and it is said that touching the stone fish in front of the Dragon King Hall is very effective for praying for blessings. The shadows of the trees, the red walls and black tiles, many corners are excellent places for taking pictures. Opening hours: 8:30-16:30 Ticket price: 50 yuan, you can also buy tickets online in advance Transportation: It is recommended to drive by yourself. There is a parking lot at the entrance of Tanzhe Temple. There are many restaurants nearby. If you dine, you can park for free. Public transportation: Take the S1 line to Shichang and then take a taxi for about 30 to Tanzhe Temple √Jietan Temple Jietan Temple is not far from Tanzhe Temple. It is not as famous as Tanzhe Temple, but the environment is more quiet and beautiful. It was built in the fifth year of Tang Wude and has been 1400 years now. It is the temple with the most and most complete Liao Dynasty cultural relics preserved in northern China, such as Buddhist pagodas, sutra towers, and precept altars. The scene of Ganlu Temple in 'The Legend of Zhen Huan' was filmed in Jietan Temple. Jietan Temple is known to the world for its 'precept altar, strange pines, and ancient caves'. The temple has the largest Buddhist precept altar in the country, with a clear Liao Dynasty style, mountain gate hall, bell and drum towers, Heavenly King Hall, Daxiong Hall, Thousand Buddha Pavilion, Guanyin Hall and Jiuxian Hall. Built along the mountain, rising layer by layer, winding paths leading to secluded spots, grand momentum, both the grandeur of northern temples and the beauty of southern gardens. 'The Buddha selection field', that is, the hall where Zhen Huan sweeps, you can see the three-story precept altar. The Peony Courtyard was once the place where Prince Gong of the Qing Dynasty lived in seclusion. There are old pines and cypresses, Taihu rocks, dense flowers and plants, and tourists can also enjoy tea and comprehend the Tao under the trees. The ancient pines of Jietan Temple are a sight in the temple. The pagoda-hugging pine lies horizontally to the south, crosses the wall, and tightly hugs the ancient pagoda outside the wall. This ancient pagoda and the ancient pagoda next to it are the tomb pagoda and robe pagoda of Master Fajun, both of which are cultural relics of Liao Dynasty architecture and stone carving art. Opening hours: 8:30-16:30 Ticket price: 45 yuan Transportation: Self-driving cars can be navigated to the nearest parking lot on the mountain. Lunch recommendation: At noon, you can taste the eighteen ancient methods of Arhat vegetarian food in Jietan Temple, and the vegetarian set meal at the Jiafu Inn vegetarian restaurant at the entrance of Tanzhe Temple is also good in appearance and taste.