[2025 Handan Attraction] Travel Guide for Changle Temple Ruins (Updated Apr)

#MarchGoodPlaces2025 Today we stepped into Changle Temple, a temple located in the Fengfeng Mining Area and Xiangtangshan Scenic Area in Handan City, Hebei Province. It has gone through thousands of years of wind and rain and witnessed the changes of history, which makes people full of awe! 🏛️ ⛩️ Changle Temple was built in the Northern Qi Dynasty and was finally named Changle Temple during the Jiayou period of the Northern Song Dynasty. This temple is known as the "No. 1 ancient temple in Heshuo". It has experienced many trials and tribulations, including a fire in 1947 that almost burned down all of its ground buildings. However, the surviving ruins still have rich cultural heritage, such as red sandstone Buddhist statues from the Tang Dynasty and sutra pillars from the Song Dynasty. 🔥 Even after experiencing a catastrophe, Changle Temple still stands, showing its profound historical heritage and unique architectural style. There is a sacred atmosphere in the temple, as if you can hear the resonance of ancient souls, making people involuntarily immersed in it, feeling the tranquility and peace of mind. 🕊️ 🙏 In this ancient temple, we prayed devoutly to the Buddha, hoping to gain wisdom and peace. Every ancient building seems to record the passage of time, allowing people to have deeper thoughts and experiences about the past. Changle Temple is not only an ancient temple tower, but also a place for the soul to rest, allowing us to experience the tranquility and agility beyond the world. In this sacred place, we found a resting place for our hearts and felt the purification of our body and mind. Let us calm our minds here and seek inner harmony and tranquility. 🌿🙇♂️🌟 #Handan #Hebei Province #Changle Temple 📍Address: Changle Temple, Xiangtangshan Scenic Area, Fengfeng Mining Area and Village Town, Handan City, Hebei Province

🌟Highlights: In addition to the grottoes, Changle Temple is a must-see in Xiangtang Mountain. Changle Temple was built in the Northern Qi Dynasty and was originally named Shiku Temple. It was renamed Changle Temple during the Jiayou period of the Northern Song Dynasty (1056–1063). Historical records show that it was once glorious. As early as the Tang and Song Dynasties, it was already the "No. 1 ancient temple in Heshuo" and was famous throughout China. "Heshuo" refers to the vast area north of the Yellow River, which shows its prosperity! Now, the entire temple only has a Song Dynasty pagoda outside the mountain gate and some stone carvings inside the temple, while the rest are ruins. You will feel an indescribable sense of desolation and loneliness, which will make you cry... The incomplete Three Buddhas once appeared on the cover of National Geographic China. It is said that they will be protected with a roof soon, and the open-air Three Buddhas will eventually become a swan song!

🌈Scenic Features: Everyone has heard of Xiangtangshan Grottoes, but did you know that within the Beixiangtang Grottoes area, there are two other places? One is the ruins of Changle Temple, and the other is the Digital Exhibition Museum. The ruins of Changle Temple are located below the Beixiangtang Grottoes, built during the Northern Qi Dynasty, and was one of the three major temples in the north during the Tang Dynasty, known as the 'First Ancient Temple of Heshuo'. The current site covers an area of 7,000 square meters, with all buildings destroyed, leaving only the foundation. The Digital Exhibition Museum uses digital methods to restore and display the relics and remains of Xiangtangshan Grottoes. The lotus steps at the entrance of the museum are impressive. 🎟️Ticket Information: The ruins of Changle Temple and the Digital Museum are included in the Xiangtangshan Grottoes ticket. Xiangtangshan Grottoes adult ticket: 60 yuan (100 yuan with shuttle bus) Night session now available for 30 yuan 🕐️Opening Hours: 7:00-22:30 💗Other Tips: 🕰️It's best to go early in the morning, otherwise, large tour groups start arriving at 9 o'clock. ⚠️Take the shuttle bus to the entrance of the Changle Temple ruins first, but you can skip the visit and transfer to the grottoes bus because the grottoes are more crowded. You can visit Changle Temple on your way down and then walk to the Digital Museum.

In the past, it was famous far and wide. Unfortunately, it was destroyed multiple times by wars and disasters. After several reconstructions during the Song, Jin, Ming, and Qing dynasties, it was once again reduced to ashes in a fire in 1947— becoming what it is today. Only a Song Dynasty pagoda remains outside the mountain gate, an octagonal nine-story pavilion, its shape blurred, standing out among the ruins. There are also fallen steles, scripture pillars, expressionless stone statues, headless seated Buddha statues— sitting majestically on a tall lotus pedestal in the twilight of the Dharma-ending age, still carefree, with every curve exuding a soft aura. Thus, no ancient people are seen before, nor future generations after, full of desolation, ruins and rubble. But it is not sad. Millions of long nights are waiting, millions of cups of old tea are filled, scars are like the passage of time, one after another, year after year, all these have made a temple. .

After the first sentence, the translation should be on a new line. Although one of the main reasons for visiting Hebei to explore ancient sites was the Xiangtangshan Grottoes, what touched me more was the Chang Le Temple at the foot of the northern Xiangtangshan. To call it a temple, its main buildings have long been in ruins; to call it a site, there is still a pagoda and a few buildings that remain. According to records, Chang Le Temple was built during the Northern Qi dynasty, originally named Shiku Temple, and was renamed Chang Le Temple during the Jiayou period of the Northern Song dynasty (1056—1063). Its former glory is well-documented; as early as the Tang and Song dynasties, it was known as the 'foremost ancient monastery north of the river,' famous throughout China. 'North of the river' refers to the area north of the Yellow River. To be called 'the first' across the vast lands north of the Yellow River speaks volumes of its past splendor. Today, only a Song dynasty pagoda outside the mountain gate and some stone carvings inside the temple remain, but the central axis is still clearly discernible. From south to north, there are the mountain gate, stone pagoda, Hall of the Three Worlds, Jin dynasty stele, two Song dynasty sutra pillars, the Mahavira Hall, and the Ksitigarbha Hall. Apart from the mountain gate, which has been rebuilt, the rest are but remnants and ruins. The Song pagoda outside the temple gate, known as the Putong Pagoda, stands out as the tallest structure of Chang Le Temple at the foot of Drum Mountain, where the grottoes are located. The pagoda is elegant and lofty, with an octagonal nine-story pavilion-style design. The alternating single and double-layer eaves feature different styles, showing unique craftsmanship and serving as an excellent example of Song dynasty architecture. Directly opposite the mountain gate is a rare small octagonal stone pagoda, with only two levels remaining. The carvings are severely eroded, likely dating back to the Tang dynasty or earlier, a precious example of a pagoda standing along the central axis of a temple. Behind the pagoda lies the essence of the entire temple site—a set of stone statues remodeled in the second year of the Zhenyuan era of the Jin dynasty (1154). The front of the statues features the Buddhas of the Three Times with two disciples, while the back has the three Bodhisattvas, each supposed to be riding a divine beast, but due to breakage and loss, they are placed haphazardly on the altar. Regrettably, all the heads of the Buddha statues in this group have been lost, but even with only the bodies remaining, they still convey a calming sense of detachment. Behind the altar is a Jin dynasty stele erected in the fourth year of the Zhenglong era (1159), followed by a pair of Song dynasty sutra pillars standing to the left and right. Further back is the site of the Mahavira Hall, which stands tall on its base. The wooden structure of the entire building is long gone, with only some stone components that have withstood the flames still standing, supporting a non-existent roof. It is said that the temple was destroyed by a fire in 1946, allegedly set by a local teacher leading students. This piece of history is not so distant, yet the truth remains to be verified. If true, one can only lament that in an instant, the world lost Chang Le Temple forever. 🏞 Name | Chang Le Temple Ruins 🎫 Ticket | Xiangtangshan Grottoes Ticket ⛳ Address | Inside the Northern Xiangtangshan Scenic Area, Fengfeng Mining District, Handan City 🚗 Transportation | Navigate to 'Northern Xiangtangshan Grottoes'

Changle Temple is located at the foot of Drum Mountain, built by Gao Yang of the Northern Qi dynasty, originally named Shiku Temple, and was a supporting facility for the Xiangtangshan Grottoes of the same period. Today, only a Song dynasty pagoda and several stone foundations, columns, and remnants of stone inscriptions remain. Fortunately, these are all made of stone; if they were made of wood, probably nothing would be left. 📷📷📷📷 The ruins of Changle Temple are truly beautiful. Even the ruins can fully convey the splendor of this place in the past. If you look closely at the stone carvings, there are still many details, and the half-open door of the Song pagoda also has the unique characteristics of this area. Paired with the unearthed cultural relics exhibition at the digital center, the overall experience is even more comprehensive. Xiangtangshan is really a treasure trove of attractions.