Entering Beihai Park, most tourists head straight for the White Pagoda on Qionghua Island — the structure visible from afar in the middle of the lake that appears in photographs. But on the northern shore of the park, near the North Gate, there is an architectural complex that most visitors pass by.
It does not have the fame of the White Pagoda or the visual beauty of the Nine-Dragon Wall, but it is one of the most historically interesting corners of Beihai Park. This is Xitian Fanjing, an imperial lamaist temple founded during the Ming Dynasty and brought to its prime under Qianlong in the Qing era.
If you enter through the North Gate and walk a few steps to the right, you will find yourself at the entrance to the temple. Here you can see structures made of golden nanmu wood, the shimmering glaze in the facing of the buildings, and in the opening of the gate — the framed distant White Pagoda. This is the most underrated scenery in Beihai Park. And more importantly: after the official return of the Liuli Ge courtyard in early 2026, this "western Buddhist paradise," divided for seventy years, has finally regained its integrity.
Why It Is Worth Coming Here Specifically
Xitian Fanjing Temple, also known as the "Great Western Paradise," was originally the Xitian Chanlin lamaist monastery of the Ming era and is one of the most famous corners of Beihai. In the twenty-fourth year of Qianlong`s reign (1759), the emperor significantly expanded it and renamed it "Xitian Fanjing," forming the appearance we see today.
The entire complex faces south and is laid out in three courtyards: from the glazed paifang arch, the gate with the bell tower and drum tower — to the Hall of the Heavenly Kings and the Daci Zhenru Hall, and then into the deepest part — to the Huayan Qingjie Hall, the Seven Buddhas Pavilion and the Liuli Ge Pavilion.
Its uniqueness lies in the fusion of Han and Tibetan traditions: here both the wooden structures of official Ming architecture and the masterpieces of Qing imperial glazed technique have been preserved. It is "an important symbol of the multinational unity and cultural synthesis of the Chinese nation."
Three Things That Must Not Be Missed
The first — the Daci Zhenru Hall. It is the heart and soul of the entire Xitian Fanjing Temple. The entire hall is built of golden nanmu wood of the Ming era: beams, columns, dougong — all executed in pure mortise-and-tenon technique, without a single iron nail. As you approach, you may first notice not a visual but an olfactory impression — a light fragrance of nanmu stands in the hall all year round. In the Ming and Qing eras, nanmu was wood intended exclusively for the imperial court, and only a countable number of such large halls have survived throughout the country. The surface of the building is not covered with painting — the natural color of the wood is preserved.
The second — the glazed paifang arch and the "framed White Pagoda." The entrance four-column seven-tier glazed paifang is an example of Qing glazed arches: yellow, green and emerald glaze with fine relief carving. But what truly makes this view classic is a certain way of looking: stand under the central opening and look into the distance — the expanse of water, and the White Pagoda on Qionghua Island fits exactly and completely into the frame of the arch. This is one of the classic compositional shots of Beihai Park.
The third — the Liuli Ge Pavilion and the Seven Buddhas Pavilion, which will soon open. The Liuli Ge courtyard for seventy years was the workplace of the Beijing Institute of Archaeology and was only officially transferred back to Beihai Park on January 22, 2026.
This pavilion, built in the twenty-fourth year of Qianlong`s reign (1759), is decorated on its facade with 1,424 glazed images of Buddha Amitayus and is a rarest example of Qing imperial glazed architecture. In front of it stands the Seven Buddhas Pavilion (1777), inside which is kept an octagonal stone pagoda with images of the seven buddhas of the past and a stele with text written personally by Emperor Qianlong in four languages — Manchu, Chinese, Mongolian and Tibetan.
There is no other such example in all of China. At present the courtyard is undergoing restoration and exhibition development; the opening dates have not yet been determined, but Beihai Park has announced plans to create souvenir products and master classes on glazed ceramics there.
Practical Information
Tickets: a separate ticket for entering Xitian Fanjing is not needed — it is included in the combined ticket of Beihai Park. In high season (April 1 — October 31) the combined ticket costs 20 yuan, in low season — 15 yuan.
Opening hours: Xitian Fanjing belongs to the "parks within the park," is open from 8:30 to 17:00 and is closed on Mondays (except official holidays). The main gates of the park are open longer: in high season 6:00–21:00, in low season 6:30–20:00.
