Beijing, China · Temple tradition traced to the Western Jin; major later rebuilding

Tanzhe Temple

潭柘寺 · Tánzhè Sì

A historic Buddhist complex in Mentougou whose age is often expressed through the saying that the temple predates Beijing city.

A hall within Tanzhe Temple.

Historical Context

Beijing, China

39.904016, 116.024133 · reviewed 2026-10-05

Open geographic source ↗

Tanzhe Temple is conventionally associated with an early fourth-century foundation, while much of what visitors encounter reflects later rebuilding. Future research will add a phase-by-phase architectural history from specialist sources.

The site is included for its continuous importance in Beijing's Buddhist geography. Precise foundation narratives vary, so this record separates traditional dating from extant architectural evidence.

Text & Practice

[TEXTUAL, RITUAL, AND PRACTICE RELATIONSHIPS TO BE ADDED ONLY AFTER SOURCE OR FIELDWORK REVIEW]

Sound

[FIELD RECORDING · DATE · LOCATION · RECORDIST · CONSENT CONTEXT · RIGHTS TO BE ADDED]

Field Notes

[AUTHOR VISIT DATE, QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES, OBSERVATIONS, AND REFLEXIVE NOTES TO BE ADDED]

Photos

A temple hall at Tanzhe Temple in western Beijing — A hall within Tanzhe Temple.Cygnus78 · External archiveSource record ↗

Sources

潭柘寺

北京市人民政府

View source ↗Reviewed 2026-10-05

OpenStreetMap location record for Tanzhe Temple

Coordinates reviewed against the mapped temple feature.

View source ↗Open data licensed under ODbL 1.0Reviewed 2026-10-05

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