Fa Yuan Temple

Fayuan Temple in Beijing's southern Xuanwu district is one of the capital's oldest surviving Buddhist monasteries. Tang Emperor Taizong founded the site in 645 to commemorate soldiers killed in the Korean campaign; its present name, meaning Source of the Dharma, was bestowed in 1734 by Qing Emperor Yongzheng. Six successive courtyards line up the classic halls of a Chan monastic complex: the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Main Buddha Hall, a Pilu Hall containing a rare three-meter Ming-era Vairocana figure, and a scripture hall. Since 1956 the temple has housed the Chinese Buddhist Academy, the highest training institution for Chinese Buddhism. The monastery is especially celebrated for its old lilac trees, which perfume the entire compound when they bloom in April.