Beijing Stone Carving Art Museum

The Beijing Stone Carving Art Museum is located next to the Beijing Wuta Temple. In the middle of the courtyard is a brick and bluestone tower in the form of a Vajra throne. There are five towers on the throne, representing the five Buddhas. There are more than ten such towers in China, including the Biyun Temple Vajra Tower, the Xihuang Temple Qingjinghuacheng Tower, the Yunnan Miaokan Temple Lanruo Tower, and the Inner Mongolia Hohhot Ci Deng Temple Vajra Relic Tower. The towers I have seen include the Xiangshan Biyun Temple Tower and the Guangde Temple Tower near Longzhong, Xiangyang, Hubei, which I visited a few years ago. However, the one in the Wuta Temple is older and has the most beautiful style. It was the first batch of national protection in 1961, which shows how precious it is.

The stone carvings collected in Beijing over the years are displayed around the tower, divided into 8 display areas with more than 500 kinds. It is said that now, including the stone carvings from various dynasties in the collection, there are nearly 2,000 kinds in total.

The north side is an indoor stone carving art exhibition. There is the earliest existing stone carving in Beijing - the stone carving of Qin Jun, the secretary of Youzhou, in the first year of Yuanxing in the Eastern Han Dynasty (105 AD). The famous - the Taihe statue of the Northern Wei Dynasty, which is the oldest single stone Buddha statue in Beijing. The original one from the 23rd year of Taihe in the Northern Wei Dynasty (499 AD) is in the Capital Museum, and here is a replica.

On the west side are the exhibition hall of the brief history of people and stone carvings, the stone carving cultural relics exhibition area, the religious stone carving exhibition area, and the guild hall stone carving exhibition area; the east road has four exhibition areas including the comprehensive stone carving exhibition area, the Jesuit monument exhibition area, the merit monument exhibition area, and the epitaph exhibition area.

Wuta Temple is located to the east of Baishiqiao, beside the Changhe River, and together with the Beijing Stone Carving Art Museum. If you want to go there, take Metro Line 9 or Line 4, get off at Beitu Station, walk south to the Changhe River, don't cross the river, walk a few hundred meters east along the north side of the river to the destination, and the back door of the zoo is across the river. You can also visit the zoo first, go out the back door at the northwest corner of the zoo, and cross the river to get there.

Tickets to Wuta Temple are 20 yuan, and the first 200 people on Wednesday are free. It says that people over 65 years old are free, but I went there two days ago and people over 60 years old didn't ask for tickets. Generally, it takes 1-2 hours to play. You can go to the zoo and Zizhuyuan together.

The Stone Carving Art Museum has a rich collection and profound historical connotations. It is worth a visit for friends who like history and ancient architecture.

It's not bad. There are fewer people and it's quiet in summer. Most of the stone carvings are from the Ming and Qing dynasties in Beijing. There are really many different museums in Beijing.

This is the best experience among the small museums in Beijing. It has historic buildings, beautiful scenery, and superb supporting facilities. It feels like it has been carefully maintained. I was lucky enough to meet the curator, and then I knew what a senior and a master are.

I came here once about 8 years ago. I remember that it was a quiet place in a bustling city with many stone tablets. This time, I saw a lot of changes. It was late autumn, and the two ginkgo trees in front of Zhenjue Temple were really golden. When the wind blew, the golden leaves fell down, which was really beautiful.

The temple has put a lot of thought into spreading the stone carving culture. There is a simple text introduction next to each exhibit, a special exhibition room, pictures and text + multimedia, and particularly responsible volunteer guides.

Surprisingly, there is also an interactive room for children, which allows them to understand the basic principles of stone carving through games and interactive equipment. It is very loving.

The Stone Carving Museum is not very famous, so there are not many tourists, but whether you want to enjoy the autumn leaves or the snow, it is really a rare secret place in Beijing. It is worth taking the time to stroll in the temple.

Ps: The ancestral hall stele of Lord Fucha Fuheng is also here, go look for it.

The Five Pagodas Temple was actually the Zhenjue Temple. After changes through the dynasties, only a large hall with five pagodas remains here. It is currently the Beijing Stone Carving Art Museum. Friends who like stone carvings can come here to appreciate the stone carving art, especially in the autumn season, when the ginkgo leaves are yellow, and you will have a different feeling standing in front of the Five Pagodas Temple.

Due to the special nature of the exhibits, many large stone carvings are placed outdoors in this museum, which is more like a park with flowers, grass, trees and carved stones. The indoor part exhibits smaller and more exquisite rubbings of steles, rubbings and stone carvings. In addition to the steles and unearthed carvings from various dynasties, the most eye-catching outdoor part is the tower.



Wuta Temple was originally Zhenjue Temple built during the Yongle Period of Ming Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, it was renamed Dazhengjue Temple to avoid the name of Emperor Yongzheng. The most important building in the temple is the Vajra Throne Pagoda, which was built in imitation of the Vajra Throne in Bodh Gaya, India. It is divided into two parts: the lower throne and the upper five pagodas. The lower throne is 18.6 meters long, 15.73 meters wide and 7.7 meters high. It is engraved with Sanskrit, Buddha statues and instruments, and has the charm of architectural art carved eaves and brackets. The upper five pagodas are all dense eaves stone pagodas. The middle big pagoda is 8 meters high, with a Xumi seat below and 13 layers of dense eaves on the top. The small pagodas at the four corners are 7 meters high and 11 layers of dense eaves. The five pagodas are staggered and well-organized. Looking from below, the Vajra Throne Pagoda is tall and solemn, and against the backdrop of two 600-year-old ginkgo trees next to it, it is even more pure and solemn.



Now, due to the protection of cultural relics, people cannot go up to the tower. It is said that there are Buddha's footprints engraved on the south side of the large tower in the middle, but they cannot be seen. From the Ming and Qing Dynasties to modern times, the temples no longer exist, and only the Vajra Throne Tower is still standing. There should be no regrets about the Buddha's footprints everywhere.

I have lived in Beijing for many years, but I have never felt much about the attractions in the city. I always feel that there are too many people. However, the Beijing Stone Carving Art Museum is very different. It is located within the 3rd ring road, but it is very quiet. It maintains a visitor volume of about 100 people every day. It is a quiet and exquisite museum. There are many stone carvings and stone sculptures inside, which record a lot of history of our country. The cute stone carvings are impressive. There is also a parent-child theme exhibition hall, where you can play some puzzle games. And the addition of modern technology restores the living conditions of humans at that time. A very good museum, worth a visit.

The ginkgo leaves in front of the Wuta Temple are all over the ground. I walk slowly and look around in the museum alone.

A very wonderful museum, located at the north gate of the zoo. Take the subway to the National Library, get off and walk along the river. There are many stone tablets and stone carvings near Beijing. There are seven or eight areas according to the different themes of the stone carvings. There are so many beautiful stone carvings. I don't know which one is the highlight when I walk around. The ones that impressed me most were the ones sponsored and restored by the United States in 2014. They are really big and beautiful. There are also stone screens and stone houses exhibited in the corridors on both sides. They are all very beautiful.

Finally, there is the Zhenjue Temple Pagoda in the middle of the courtyard. This is the first batch of buildings shortlisted for national key cultural relics protection units, and is in the same batch as the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. It feels bigger than the one in Hohhot. After all, it is in Beijing. But it’s a pity that you can’t climb the tower. There are only some display boards and four Buddha statues on the first floor. There are also some related cultural relics on display.

Located in Zhenjue Temple, the Vajra Throne Pagoda of Zhenjue Temple is worth a special trip to see, not to mention the cultural relics collection. There are many stone carvings in the courtyard, most of which are from Beijing and its surrounding areas. Don't miss it if you are interested.

Wandering in the special museum displaying the stone carving art in Beijing, our feeling is: many exquisite stone carvings may have been unearthed in an area of ​​Beijing that we are familiar with; many cultural relics require us to calm down and interpret them slowly.

The Stone Carving Art Museum is open-air with the Vajra Throne Pagoda as the center. After entering the gate, you will be immediately isolated from the surrounding chaos. The towering ancient trees, the static stone tablets and the ancient pagoda with the clear sound of wind chimes will immediately make you feel refreshed. The exquisite building opposite the gate is the center of the museum - the Vajra Pagoda. The five pagodas are backed by the blue sky, the ancient trees are in front, and the wind blows the bells. After the changes of history, only the Vajra Pagoda is left in the original Zhenjue Temple to spread Buddhism and tell stories for future generations.