Badachu Park, Shijingshan

Shijingshan in the western suburbs of Beijing is something of an oddity in comparison with other of the city's districts, its paramount attraction being the Badachu Park and all that it embraces but little else that merits a special trip there. The park is notable for its eight ancient temples, nunneries and a cave set into the beautiful scenery at the southern skirt of the Western Hills. With an area of 250 hectares, this "flashback in time" is 464 meters above see level at its highest point.

Badachu Park, enclosed by mountains called Cuiwei, Pingpo and Lushi and containing 12 designated "natural scenes" in addition to its well-preserved temples, is also unusual in another sense, for it offers comparatively warm winters and cool summers - the reverse of what the rest of north-west China usually experiences. The park's soil is very fertile and rich in colorful vegetation, including 80 species of arbor tree (some 400,000 in all), and a further 590 rare trees (18 species) which continue to thrive.

The ancient temples and nunneries were built at the end of the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and start of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and were renovated during the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. The early 1900s saw the Badachu cable car and one of China's first chute slides brought into operation. But it was not until the late 1980s that the idyllic Reflecting Green Lake and Hundred Flower Garden were created and opened to the public.

While the park's natural beauty has long made it a magnet for people seeking tranquillity, its ancient buildings and cave ensure its overriding sense of timelessness. The temples and nunneries are:

Changan Temple

Located to the South of the park entrance and with its eastern aspect enclosed by a red wall, this temple was built in 1504. A brick wall opposite the temple's entrance bears the Chinese inscription "Arriving at Shangri-La". Temple features include two courtyards, three halls and, outside, two 100-year-old healthy lacebark pine trees.

Lingguang Temple

This is the most prominent of the temples, though not the largest. Built between 766-779 during the Tang Dynasty, it is best known for its Dabei courtyard, a water-lily gold-fish pool and pagoda section. A gold-coated copper statue of the Sykyamuni Buddha, bequeathed by a Thai head monk, is enshrined in its main hall. A tooth relic of this Buddha was found in the ruins of Zhaoxian Pagoda, built in the Liao Dynasty, which was razed by foreign invaders. A replacement pagoda now houses the tooth.

Sanshan Nunnery

Built in 1151, this nunnery is surrounded by the Cui, Pinpo and Lushi Hills. It faces North, has one courtyard and a main building used to house a statue of Sakyamuni. An inscribed board above the door says "Big World", while a slab of marble at the foot of the door is known for beautiful veins that have formed into a beautiful landscape. When water is sprayed on the marble, pictures of waterfalls, figures, animals and clouds appear. Couplets on the back door of the site's East hall were written by famed calligrapher Chu Tunan.

Dabei Temple

Erected prior to 1033 and with three courtyards, Dabei Temple sits on a mountain slope that faces East. Emperor Kangxi wrote an inscription over the entrance door, through which stand four heavenly kings. In front of the Daxiong Hall, green bamboos planted during the Ming Dynasty still thrive.

Dragon Spring Nunnery

Situated to the north-west of Dabei Temple, the nunnery is also known as Dragon Hall. Built in 1425, it has five courtyards which are home to tall pines and cypresses which provide pleasant shade during the Summer. Entrance to the nunnery is through a small door which leads visitors to spring water which flows through a dragon's mouth into a pond. The nunnery's Tingquan Pavilion serves tea.

Xiangjie Temple

Largest of the temples, Xiangjie was built on Pingpo Hill around the year 760 in the Tang Dynasty. Its three doorways lead to five courtyards. One entrance displays an inscription, on a stone slab, written by Emperor Qianlong. One courtyard contains an ancient pine which resembles a reclining dragon, thus attracting the name "Dragon Pine".

Pearl Cave

Created in 1780 the cave, atop Pingpo Mount, is a perfect spot from which to view sunrise and the Beijing panorama. Emperor Qianlong wrote the inscriptions to be found above the wooden archway to a hall, behind which the cave is located. Black and white gravel which forms part of its stone walls resemble glittering pearls, hence the cave's name.

Zhengguo Temple

Credited with being the oldest of the eight temples, Zhengguo is thought to have been built in either the Tang or Sui dynasties. Facing South, it has two high stone steles on either side of the lengthy doorstep.

This temple is particularly popular because of its long history, extreme quietness and the fact that visitors can enjoy listening to folk tales.

Address: Shijingshan District, Beijing

Open: 6am-5pm

Admission: 10 yuan (5 yuan for students and the elderly)

Tel: 6887-4661.

Getting there

Bus Nos: 374, 389, 311, 958, 972 or 622.

April Diary Note

The current Badachu China Gardens' Tea-culture Festival will finish on April 7. Along with enjoying the park's attractions, visitors can learn more about China's age-old tea culture, including the making of tea, drinking it and listening to lectures about it.

Sponsored by Beijing Tourism Administration, Shijingshan Government, the China Tea Currency Association and Wu Juenong Tea Culture Seminar, it is co-sponsored by Fujian, Anxi District Government and Beijing Wu Yutai Tea Company. Producers of the event are Shijingshan Tourism Adminstration and Badachu Park Administration.