Beiyue Temple (Quyang)
北岳庙
A temple where emperors of successive dynasties made distant sacrifices to Mount Heng of the North; the Hall of Dening from the Yuan dynasty and its giant 'Heavenly Palace Map' mural are national treasures.
Beiyue Temple lies in Quyang County town. From the Northern Wei onward it was the site where emperors of successive dynasties offered sacrifices to Mount Heng, the Northern Sacred Peak, until the early Qing, when the sacrifices were moved to Hunyuan in Shanxi. The main hall, the Hall of Dening, was built in the Yuan dynasty and is one of the largest surviving Yuan timber halls. Its two huge side-wall murals, the 'Heavenly Palace Map' (also known as 'Clouds Moving, Rain Falling'), are said to derive from sketches by the painter Wu Daozi, the Sage of Painting. The temple also holds many steles from successive dynasties. It is a National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit. Tickets are required (exact fee posted on site), and a visit takes about 1 to 1.5 hours. Quyang is also known as China's stone-carving hometown, so you can browse the stone-carving markets in town. It is about 70 km from Baoding city.
Opening hours
About 08:30–17:30
Nearby sights
- Liaodi Pagoda of Kaiyuan Temple
- Dingzhou Examination Hall
- Baishi Mountain
- Yaowang Temple (Anguo)
- Ranzhuang Tunnel Warfare Site
- Mancheng Han Tombs
- Mount Langya (Langyashan)
- Geyuan Temple (Laiyuan)