Beijing Yunju Temple

Yunju Temple was first built in the late Sui and early Tang dynasties. After generations of repair, it has formed five courtyards and six halls. It covers an area of more than 70,000 square meters. On both sides there are side halls, imperial palaces and monks' houses. There are two pagodas facing each other from the north and south. The temple is sitting in the west and facing the east. Surrounded by mountains and water, it has a magnificent shape and enjoys the reputation of "the great temple of the north".The Yunju Temple, the Sutra Cave on Shijing Mountain and the Pagoda Group of the Tang and Liao Dynasties constitute a treasure trove of Buddhist cultural characteristics in China. On March 4, 1961, this temple was announced by the State Council as one of the first national key cultural relics protection units because of its 14,278 stone sutras and the pagoda group of the Tang and Liao dynasties with a long history, large number, unique shape and exquisite carvings. In 2006, after a strict selection process, Yunju Temple Pagoda, the Sutra Cave and the Stone Sutra became the only independent unit in Beijing to be nominated as a World Cultural Heritage site and was included in the World Heritage Tentative List.