Beijing Art Museum

👍Most recommended: Free reservation for the first 200 visitors every Wednesday. Beijing, as the ancient capital of six dynasties, has many large ancient architectural complexes. This time, the focus is on the "Wanshou Temple," which integrates royal temples, gardens, and palaces, and is now the Beijing Art Museum. "Wanshou Temple" was originally named "Jusè Temple." Empress Dowager Li, the mother of Emperor Wanli, transformed this obscure small temple into a large one. Later, Empress Dowager Cixi promoted this temple to a royal palace. As a temple, it inevitably experienced temporary military use or was repurposed as a school due to wars and other external factors. The layout, like many architectural complexes, is divided into central, east, and west routes. Inside the Drum Tower on the left side of the entrance, historical videos related to the temple are often shown. Currently, the central route is the main visiting path. Above the mountain gate of Wanshou Temple (the main entrance of the museum), there is a stone plaque bestowed in the second year of Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty, inscribed with "Imperial Construction of the Wanshou Temple for National Protection." From the mountain gate, there are "seven courtyards," and the central route buildings to the north include the Heavenly Kings Hall, the Mahavira Hall (also known as the Daxian Shou Hall), the Wanshou Pavilion, the Grand Zen Hall, the Imperial Stele Pavilion, the Hall of Infinite Life Buddha, and the Wanshou Tower, etc. Currently, each hall has different themed exhibitions for visitors to explore. Inside the Hall of Infinite Life Buddha, there is a gilded bronze pagoda with multiple treasures cast by craftsmen during the Ming Dynasty's Tianqi era, surrounded by over 400 statues of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Devas, intricately and vividly carved. On both sides, there are two Baroque-style doors built during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty. This temple combines elements of different architectural styles, making the site uniquely attractive. 📍Detailed address: No. 119, Wanshou Temple East Road, Haidian District 🚉Transportation strategy: Exit C of Wanshou Temple Station on Subway Line 16