Longquan Monastery, sitting at the foot of Laoye Mounatain in Niegezhuang Township of Haidian District on the western outskirts of Bijing, has a history of a thousand years.

Longquan MonasteryIt is located at the low ridge of a hill, its front faces a mountain stream, above which is a single-span arch bridge. The monastery is arranged in the form of sihuyuan-a courtyard with houses on four sides, with three compounds standing in a row from west to east.

The west compound is the main compound which consists of fan entrance hall, a main hall and side halls in the east and west. The main hall is a three-bay house, covering 77sq m. exquisite murals are drawn on the walls of the hall. 

High and steep mountain stands by the side of the temple, beneath the west cliff of the temple is a mountain spring which gurgles down from the mouth of a stone carved dragon head, putting Longquan in the best situation in those years. Unfortunately, the water level has declined in recent years, and spring water has dried up.

Bus No.346 

Built in 1447 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), this mosque combines Chinese and Arabic styles together just like the Niu Jie Mosque. The mosque's library houses valuable manuscripts of the Koran, the Hadith, Islamic law and other works of Islamic philosophy, history and literature published in Egypt, India, Turkey and Pakistan. Three services are held: one at dawn, one at 1 PM and the last at 4 PM daily. The site is also the Headquarters of the Beijing branch of China Islamism Association.

Bus 106, 108, 110, 116

Niu Jie Mosque is the oldest and largest mosque in Beijing, and one of the world's most famous mosques. It was first built in Tonghe 14th Year of Liao Dynasty or Zhidao 2nd Year of the Northern Song Dynasty (AD. 996); and later received the designation "Mosque" in Chenghua 10th Year of the Ming Dynasty (AD. 1474). Niuji Mosque was first built by Arabic scholar Narsrudin with its buildings facing westward and orderly arranged on a central axis. It is a unique Chinese Islamic building with the combination of architectural styles of Chinese palace and Arabic mosque.

Bus 6, 10, 50, 53, 61, 109

Dongyue Temple was built between 1314 and 1320. It is the biggest Taoist temple in the north China area. Destroyed by fire, it was later rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty and although the current complex dates back to the Qing dynasty, it retains the style of its earlier incarnations. In the middle of the Hall of Taishan Mountain (one of China's five sacred mountains) are statues of the God of Taishan Mountain and his senior attendants. Temple corridors house 72 statues of deities, called "chiefs of departments", showing officials handing out punishments, some grotesque, to miscreants.

One of China's major Taoist temples, this is now the headquarters of the China Taoist Association. The Baiyun (White Cloud) Temple in West District of Beijing is the largest Taoist establishment in Beijing. It is remarkable for its age. It was originally founded in 739 AD. It has since been burned down and been rebuilt, hence most of the buildings now date from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The temple conducts traditional Taoist ceremonies and is crowded with bearded monks and their followers -- and tourists -- on Taoist holy days. The fair at Chinese New Year is particularly noteworthy.

The temple has a superbly decorative triple entrance archway. AS one enters he will proceed through a series of halls. Each hall is dedicated to a different Daoist deity. The Baiyun Guan is the chief temple of the Quanzhen Taoist sect and the center of the Longmen sub-sect. (In Chinese, Taoist temples are not actually called temples, but Guan. Guan means something like to look at or observe.) Buried in the compound are the remains of Qiu Chuji, a famed Yuan Taoist guru who lived in the temple all his life. For this reason Taoists in China regard the White Cloud Temple as their ancestral sanctuary.

Located on the eastern side of the Fragrant Hills, the temple was built in the 7th century during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). It was enlarged during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) to accommodate a huge bronze reclining Buddha, cast in 1320 and weighing 25,000 kilograms. Cast in lacquered bronze in 1331, this magnificent Buddha measures more than 15 feet in length and weighs more than fifty-four tons, making it the largest bronze statue in China.

The 5.2-meter-long Sleeping Buddha depicts Sakyamuni, one of the founders of Buddhism. Surrounding it are 12 sculptures illustrating 12 of Sakyamuni's disciples mourning him.

Buddhist murals that date from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) can be seen at Fahai (Law of the Sea) Temple, located on the western fringes of Beijing. These murals represent in meticulous detail the meeting of various Buddhist deities. 

Fahai Temple is located on the Cuiwei Mountain, two kilometers northeast of Moshikou, Beijing. The main constructions are respectively built on three terraces. On the first terrace is the Hall of Gateway; on the second is the Hall of Four Gods, and on the third is the Grand Hall of Buddha, around which is the Hall of Masters. Fahai Temple's construction was completed in 1443. Emperor Zhu Qizhen inscribed the stele of the temple, which makes it famous among numerous temples in Beijing.

Located outside Guang'anmen in Beijing, this pagoda is one of the earliest tall buildings of the ancient capital and a valuable memento of the Liao Dynasty.

Construction of the pagoda is estimated to have been between 1100 and 1120 towards the end of the Liao Dynasty. The octagonal pagoda, 57.8 meters tall, sits upon a square platform. The bottom of the pagoda is in the form of a huge Sumeru pedestal, decorated with carved arch patterns. It is a typical pagoda of the Liao and Kin period. Solid, without stairs inside or outside, the structure and shape of the pagoda have remained the same since it was built, though repairs have been made over the years. The later celebrated Chinese architect Liang Sicheng praised the design of the pagoda as having musical rhythm and as being a masterpiece of ancient architectural design.

Located on Inner Fuchengmen Street, in the Xicheng District, it is one of the most famous Buddhist temples in China. It is now the headquarters of the Chinese Buddhism Association, and the center to conduct national Buddhist activities.

Originally built in the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), additions were made to it by successive dynasties. The present was completed during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the original structure having undergone three expansions, three fires, and three reconstructions. It now covers an area of 5.766 acres. The major structures are the main gate, the Heavenly King Hall, Mahavira Hall, Yuantong Hall (or Buddhisattva Hall) and Sutra Hall.

The Main Gate includes three arched doors, joined to each other by connecting walls. Each door is adorned with colored glazed eaves and accompanied by a stele. Passing through the gate, visitors will see the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower, and will find themselves facing the middle Heavenly King Hall. Inside the Hall, the bronze statue of the Maitreya Buddha is sitting in the dominant place, guarded by the four Heavenly Kings. On the roof of the hall is a Wheel of Dharma, designed to suggest the infinite power of Buddha.

In the second courtyard is the Mahavira Hall. In front of the hall is a bronze vessel that was made in 1793, during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). This fine vessel is 2 meters (6.56 feet) high, cast with the eight treasures of Buddhism -"the wheel, spiral shell, umbrella, canopy, flower, vase, fish, and knot". Inside the hall are statues of Buddha and 18 arhats (Buddhist practitioners said to have special powers). Across their backs is a painting by an artist of the Qing Dynasty. The painting, 5 meters (16.4 feet) high and 10 meters (32.8 feet) wide, is a great artwork, as the artist has painted it with his fingers rather than a brush pen.

The Yuantong Hall in the third courtyard is the residence of Buddhisattva.

The two-storied Sutra Hall of the fourth yard houses the collection of sutras and treasures. It is filled with curiosities that have been given as gifts by friendly Buddhists of other states, and over 100,000 volumes of sutras. Amongst these, the sutras written in blood from the Song (960-1279) and Ming Dynasties are especially precious.

Take Bus No.101, 102, 103, 114, 121, 202

Fayuan Temple was built during the Tang Dynasty (618-917). Situated south of Jiaozi Alley outside Xuanwumen, this is the oldest ancient Buddhist temple in Beijing. It also houses the China Buddhist Association, the China Buddhism Institution and the China Buddhism Library and Relic Center, thus serving as an important venue for nurturing young monks and Buddhist research. Fayuan Temple spreads over an area of 6700 m². Fayuan Temple consists of 13 halls carefully spread out over a huge compound.