Fayuan Temple (法源寺)

Initially built in 645 in the Tang Dynasty by Li Shimin (Emperor Taizong) and later rebuilt in the Zhengtong era (1436–1449) of the Ming dynasty, the temple occupies an area of 6,700 square meters and contains a large number of cultural relics, including sculptures of ancient bronzes, stone lions, as well as gilded figures of the three Buddhas. The temple also has large numbers of Buddhist texts from the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

As an ancient temple with the longest history in Beijing, it is the home of the Buddhist Academy of China and the China Buddhism Library and Relic Center, thus serving as an important venue for nurturing young monks and Buddhist research. In the year of 1983, it was identified as the key temple in Han nation area of China. As the ancient architecture of Qing Dynasty, it was also listed as one of the fifth-batch relics protected at the national level on June 25, 2001 by the State Council.

On the left and right sides of the entrance of the temple stand the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower. Facing north and south, it consists of four courtyards. In the first courtyard, there is Heavenly King Hall, housing the statues of the Four Heavenly Kings. In the second courtyard lies the Hall of Mahavira, housing Statues of Flower Adornment School's three saints: Vairocana Buddha, Manjusri, and Samantabhadra. The Hall of Great Compassion is located in the third courtyard that houses many stone sculptures.