Guangji Temple

Introduction

Guangji Temple means the temple of great charity and it is one of the major Buddhist temples in Beijing. Since 1953, the temple has been the headquarters of the Chinese Buddhist Association and a center for Buddhist learning. The temple was originally built in the Jin dynasty (280-316AD), but was completely destroyed during the chaos of the Jin and Yuan dynasties. The temple was excavated and rebuilt in 1460, only to be again destroyed by fire in 1934. Countless scrolls of calligraphy and paintings and valuable jade and porcelain pieces were destroyed in the fire however, the ancient temple has now been restored to its former grandeur. The temple houses a wall of 18 Buddhist deities, Ming dynasty religious relics and a library of over 100,000 volumes of scriptures in 20 different languages, some of which date back to the Song dynasty.