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Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), exterior, daytime
- Title Translation: 如來殿 , 外部, 白天
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Rulai Hall is named for a title given to the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, from whose enlightenment and teachings the Buddhist religion originated. Rulai Hall has two stories and has approximately nine thousand small niches of Buddhas decorating the wall. The Rulai Hall (Hall of Śākyamuni) is on the first floor and the Wanfo Pavilion (Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion) is on the second—enclosed by walls on its east and west.
Stelae awarded by Ming Emperor Yingzong, stelae
- Title Translation: 英宗颁赐藏经碑 , 石碑
- Period: Ming, 1462 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: Located in Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall)
Cave 8
- Title Translation: 第八窟
- Period: Sui, 581-618 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 8 is the largest of the caves at Tianlongshan with the exception of Cave 9, the colossal Buddha cave. It is the only central pillar cave at the site and the only cave known to be of the Sui dynasty (581-618). It has a porch three bays wide that is largely preserved. The traces of two guardian figures standing at the sides of the entrance can still be seen. At the right side of the porch there is a stele with a long inscription dated to the fourth year of the kaihuang reign period, or 584. It records the persecution of Buddhism in the preceding Northern Zhou period after the conquest of Northern Qi, and its restoration with the rise of the Sui dynasty. The cave is dedicated by a Sui official to the well-being of the Sui emperor Wen (r. 581-604) and his son Yang Guang, the prince of Jin. The main chamber of Cave 8 is square in plan with a large square central pillar. It has three niches around the back and side walls and four niches on the central pillar, each with a central seated Buddha and standing attendants.
Cave 8
- Title Translation: 第八窟
- Period: Sui, 581-618 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 8 is the largest of the caves at Tianlongshan with the exception of Cave 9, the colossal Buddha cave. It is the only central pillar cave at the site and the only cave known to be of the Sui dynasty (581-618). It has a porch three bays wide that is largely preserved. The traces of two guardian figures standing at the sides of the entrance can still be seen. At the right side of the porch there is a stele with a long inscription dated to the fourth year of the kaihuang reign period, or 584. It records the persecution of Buddhism in the preceding Northern Zhou period after the conquest of Northern Qi, and its restoration with the rise of the Sui dynasty. The cave is dedicated by a Sui official to the well-being of the Sui emperor Wen (r. 581-604) and his son Yang Guang, the prince of Jin. The main chamber of Cave 8 is square in plan with a large square central pillar. It has three niches around the back and side walls and four niches on the central pillar, each with a central seated Buddha and standing attendants.
Cave 8
- Title Translation: 第八窟
- Period: Sui, 581-618 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 8 is the largest of the caves at Tianlongshan with the exception of Cave 9, the colossal Buddha cave. It is the only central pillar cave at the site and the only cave known to be of the Sui dynasty (581-618). It has a porch three bays wide that is largely preserved. The traces of two guardian figures standing at the sides of the entrance can still be seen. At the right side of the porch there is a stele with a long inscription dated to the fourth year of the kaihuang reign period, or 584. It records the persecution of Buddhism in the preceding Northern Zhou period after the conquest of Northern Qi, and its restoration with the rise of the Sui dynasty. The cave is dedicated by a Sui official to the well-being of the Sui emperor Wen (r. 581-604) and his son Yang Guang, the prince of Jin. The main chamber of Cave 8 is square in plan with a large square central pillar. It has three niches around the back and side walls and four niches on the central pillar, each with a central seated Buddha and standing attendants.
Cave 15
- Title Translation: 第十五窟
- Period: Tang, 618-907 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 15 is a small Tang dynasty cave formerly with muscular guardian figures standing at the entrance. Very few sculptural traces remain inside the cave.
Memorial Stele of Wang Zhen, ink rubbing
- Title Translation: 皇明恩典(英宗谕祭王振碑) , 墨拓
- Period: Ming, c. 1459 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: Wang Zhen (died 1449) is the founder of the Zhihua temple. A powerful eunuch of the Ming dynasty court and close advisor to the emperor, he built the temple as his own private residence and later, around 1444, converted it into a Buddhist temple. This ink rubbing reproduces the carving on a stone tablet that once stood at the main entrance of the Zhihua temple. The white areas in the top left section are where court officials erased Wang Zhen’s name in the mid-1700s due to his indiscretions—he was held responsible for the defeat of the Ming army at a notable battle that led to the emperor’s capture by the Mongols. This incident ultimately led to Wang Zhen’s death.
Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), exterior, daytime
- Title Translation: 如來殿 , 外部, 白天
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Rulai Hall is named for a title given to the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, from whose enlightenment and teachings the Buddhist religion originated. Rulai Hall has two stories and has approximately nine thousand small niches of Buddhas decorating the wall. The Rulai Hall (Hall of Śākyamuni) is on the first floor and the Wanfo Pavilion (Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion) is on the second—enclosed by walls on its east and west.
Zhihua Gate (Zhihuamen, Tianwangdian, or Hall of the Heavenly Kings), Zhihuamen stele about the temple dedication
- Title Translation: 智化門 , 敕赐智化禅寺报恩碑
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The entrance hall, named Zhihua Gate, is a small structure with three bays across the front and two bays across the depth (13 x 7.8 meters). It originally contained four now-lost statues of the Four Heavenly Kings installed to guard and protect the temple. Taken together with the Drum Tower on the west and Bell Tower on the east immediately inside the entrance gate (shanmen), the first quadrangle serves as a preparatory space before one makes entry into the main part of the complex to venerate the Buddhas.
Lower Guangsheng Temple, back hall (or Daxiong Bodian), stele
- Title Translation: 广胜下寺 , 后殿 (即大雄宝殿), 石碑
- Period: Eastern Han, Yuan, 147 C.E., 1271-1368 C.E.
- Project: Guangsheng Temple Murals
- Work Description: The lower temple is made up by the temple gate, front hall, back hall (or Daxiong Temple), the buttress hall and other buildings that were all built in the Yuan Dynasty. The temple gate is rather high. It is 3-bay wide and 3-bay long with single-eaved gable and hip roof. Canopies added to the front and back eaves make it like a pavilion with double eaves. The front hall is five-bay wide with only two pillars supporting the whole hall. The back hall (or Daxiong Temple) was built in the second year (1309) of the Zhida reign of the Yuan Dynasty. It is 7-bay wide with 9 purlins, 8 rafters and a single-eaved overhanging gable roof. The main statues in the hall are Amitabha Buddha, Sakyamuni Buddha, Bhaisajyaguru Buddha, Manjusri Bodhisattva, and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. They were all made in the Yuan Dynasty. Murals were once covered on the walls, but they were removed and shipped to the United States in 1928. The mural on the south wall recorded the performance of Yuan Drama. It is rare reference material for study on Chinese dramas.
Cave 16
- Title Translation: 第十六窟
- Period: Tang, 618-907 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 16 is the most important Northern Qi cave at the Tianlongshan site. The porch still has elements of post and lintel construction and bracketing supporting the overhanging eave that derive from construction in wood. The interior had fine sculptures that partially remain. The cave is now inaccessible from the path, which may account for its relatively good state of preservation.
Cave 8
- Title Translation: 第八窟
- Period: Sui, 581-618 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 8 is the largest of the caves at Tianlongshan with the exception of Cave 9, the colossal Buddha cave. It is the only central pillar cave at the site and the only cave known to be of the Sui dynasty (581-618). It has a porch three bays wide that is largely preserved. The traces of two guardian figures standing at the sides of the entrance can still be seen. At the right side of the porch there is a stele with a long inscription dated to the fourth year of the kaihuang reign period, or 584. It records the persecution of Buddhism in the preceding Northern Zhou period after the conquest of Northern Qi, and its restoration with the rise of the Sui dynasty. The cave is dedicated by a Sui official to the well-being of the Sui emperor Wen (r. 581-604) and his son Yang Guang, the prince of Jin. The main chamber of Cave 8 is square in plan with a large square central pillar. It has three niches around the back and side walls and four niches on the central pillar, each with a central seated Buddha and standing attendants.
Cave 8
- Title Translation: 第八窟
- Period: Sui, 581-618 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 8 is the largest of the caves at Tianlongshan with the exception of Cave 9, the colossal Buddha cave. It is the only central pillar cave at the site and the only cave known to be of the Sui dynasty (581-618). It has a porch three bays wide that is largely preserved. The traces of two guardian figures standing at the sides of the entrance can still be seen. At the right side of the porch there is a stele with a long inscription dated to the fourth year of the kaihuang reign period, or 584. It records the persecution of Buddhism in the preceding Northern Zhou period after the conquest of Northern Qi, and its restoration with the rise of the Sui dynasty. The cave is dedicated by a Sui official to the well-being of the Sui emperor Wen (r. 581-604) and his son Yang Guang, the prince of Jin. The main chamber of Cave 8 is square in plan with a large square central pillar. It has three niches around the back and side walls and four niches on the central pillar, each with a central seated Buddha and standing attendants.
Cave 8
- Title Translation: 第八窟
- Period: Sui, 581-618 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 8 is the largest of the caves at Tianlongshan with the exception of Cave 9, the colossal Buddha cave. It is the only central pillar cave at the site and the only cave known to be of the Sui dynasty (581-618). It has a porch three bays wide that is largely preserved. The traces of two guardian figures standing at the sides of the entrance can still be seen. At the right side of the porch there is a stele with a long inscription dated to the fourth year of the kaihuang reign period, or 584. It records the persecution of Buddhism in the preceding Northern Zhou period after the conquest of Northern Qi, and its restoration with the rise of the Sui dynasty. The cave is dedicated by a Sui official to the well-being of the Sui emperor Wen (r. 581-604) and his son Yang Guang, the prince of Jin. The main chamber of Cave 8 is square in plan with a large square central pillar. It has three niches around the back and side walls and four niches on the central pillar, each with a central seated Buddha and standing attendants.
Lower Guangsheng Temple, back hall (or Daxiong Bodian), stele
- Title Translation: 广胜下寺 , 后殿 (即大雄宝殿), 石碑
- Period: Eastern Han, Yuan, 147 C.E., 1271-1368 C.E.
- Project: Guangsheng Temple Murals
- Work Description: The lower temple is made up by the temple gate, front hall, back hall (or Daxiong Temple), the buttress hall and other buildings that were all built in the Yuan Dynasty. The temple gate is rather high. It is 3-bay wide and 3-bay long with single-eaved gable and hip roof. Canopies added to the front and back eaves make it like a pavilion with double eaves. The front hall is five-bay wide with only two pillars supporting the whole hall. The back hall (or Daxiong Temple) was built in the second year (1309) of the Zhida reign of the Yuan Dynasty. It is 7-bay wide with 9 purlins, 8 rafters and a single-eaved overhanging gable roof. The main statues in the hall are Amitabha Buddha, Sakyamuni Buddha, Bhaisajyaguru Buddha, Manjusri Bodhisattva, and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. They were all made in the Yuan Dynasty. Murals were once covered on the walls, but they were removed and shipped to the United States in 1928. The mural on the south wall recorded the performance of Yuan Drama. It is rare reference material for study on Chinese dramas.
Water God's Temple (Shuishen Temple) of the Guangsheng Monastery, Ming Ying King Hall (or Mingyingwang Temple), stele
- Title Translation: 广胜寺水神庙 , 明应王殿, 石碑
- Period: Eastern Han, Ming, 147 C.E., 1368-1644 C.E.
- Project: Guangsheng Temple Murals
- Work Description: The Water God's Temple has two yards: the front yard and the back yard, and includes the Temple Gate, the Door of Amenity, the Ming Ying King Hall and wing-rooms of cave dwellings. The Ming Ying King Hall is 5-bay wide and 5-bay long with a cloister around and a double-eaved gable hip roof. Beams inside are of common style. The hall houses statues of Water God Ming Ying King and his eleven attendants. Their facial features, clothes and gestures are all of Yuan style. Frescoes about people praying for the rain and other historical stories covered the walls, occupying an area of 197 square meters. The pictures of dramas at the eastern end of the south wall show a complete set of stage property for the performers: costumes, stage instruments, musical instruments, makeup, curtain, stage, and so on. The drawing was strictly arranged, the color was simple but profound, and dramatis personae were expressive. This fresco reflects the true condition of Yuan Drama in its peak time; it is a rare fine work of Yuan frescoes in China.
Cave 15
- Title Translation: 第十五窟
- Period: Tang, 618-907 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 15 is a small Tang dynasty cave formerly with muscular guardian figures standing at the entrance. Very few sculptural traces remain inside the cave.
Zhihua Gate (Zhihuamen, Tianwangdian, or Hall of the Heavenly Kings), exterior
- Title Translation: 智化門 , 外部
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The entrance hall, named Zhihua Gate, is a small structure with three bays across the front and two bays across the depth (13 x 7.8 meters). It originally contained four now-lost statues of the Four Heavenly Kings installed to guard and protect the temple. Taken together with the Drum Tower on the west and Bell Tower on the east immediately inside the entrance gate (shanmen), the first quadrangle serves as a preparatory space before one makes entry into the main part of the complex to venerate the Buddhas.
Lower Guangsheng Temple, back hall (or Daxiong Bodian), stele and entrance
- Title Translation: 广胜下寺 , 后殿 (即大雄宝殿), 石碑和入口
- Period: Eastern Han, Yuan, 147 C.E., 1271-1368 C.E.
- Project: Guangsheng Temple Murals
- Work Description: The lower temple is made up by the temple gate, front hall, back hall (or Daxiong Temple), the buttress hall and other buildings that were all built in the Yuan Dynasty. The temple gate is rather high. It is 3-bay wide and 3-bay long with single-eaved gable and hip roof. Canopies added to the front and back eaves make it like a pavilion with double eaves. The front hall is five-bay wide with only two pillars supporting the whole hall. The back hall (or Daxiong Temple) was built in the second year (1309) of the Zhida reign of the Yuan Dynasty. It is 7-bay wide with 9 purlins, 8 rafters and a single-eaved overhanging gable roof. The main statues in the hall are Amitabha Buddha, Sakyamuni Buddha, Bhaisajyaguru Buddha, Manjusri Bodhisattva, and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. They were all made in the Yuan Dynasty. Murals were once covered on the walls, but they were removed and shipped to the United States in 1928. The mural on the south wall recorded the performance of Yuan Drama. It is rare reference material for study on Chinese dramas.
Lower Guangsheng Temple, back hall (or Daxiong Bodian), stele
- Title Translation: 广胜下寺 , 后殿 (即大雄宝殿), 石碑
- Period: Eastern Han, Yuan, 147 C.E., 1271-1368 C.E.
- Project: Guangsheng Temple Murals
- Work Description: The lower temple is made up by the temple gate, front hall, back hall (or Daxiong Temple), the buttress hall and other buildings that were all built in the Yuan Dynasty. The temple gate is rather high. It is 3-bay wide and 3-bay long with single-eaved gable and hip roof. Canopies added to the front and back eaves make it like a pavilion with double eaves. The front hall is five-bay wide with only two pillars supporting the whole hall. The back hall (or Daxiong Temple) was built in the second year (1309) of the Zhida reign of the Yuan Dynasty. It is 7-bay wide with 9 purlins, 8 rafters and a single-eaved overhanging gable roof. The main statues in the hall are Amitabha Buddha, Sakyamuni Buddha, Bhaisajyaguru Buddha, Manjusri Bodhisattva, and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. They were all made in the Yuan Dynasty. Murals were once covered on the walls, but they were removed and shipped to the United States in 1928. The mural on the south wall recorded the performance of Yuan Drama. It is rare reference material for study on Chinese dramas.