New-ish hike, limited details!

Track types: Hill tracks, paved walking paths, concrete access roads, and some stony old pilgrim’s trails, with one quick section on the road that leads up to Dingdu Pavilion. There are a couple of scrambly bits that work as a short cut.

Rough plan: do the hike, then approx. 45 minutes of free time to explore Tanzhe Temple.

Dingdu Pavilion was closed last time we asked. We’ll just hike by on this visit.

Things to see on the way

Kongque ‘Peacock’ Hermitage

Dating back to the Jurchen Jin Dynasty (1115-1234 AD), with add-ons in the Ming Dynasty and a failed renovation in modern times, Peacock Hermitage has fallen into ruin. What we’ll see on this visit is the solid arch of its ‘mountain gate’, some sundry statues, and some ruined halls. If we poke around a bit we might find the old foundations of monk’s tombs and gates.

The hike starts in a village near the hermitage.

After a look about the hermitage we’ll make an extended hill climb up a valley to reach a rest area on a peak. From the peak we’ll have great views of Dingdu Pavilion on a neighbouring peak, as well as a look back towards Beijing.

We’re taking the long way to Dingdu Pavilion, first hiking away on a detour down a ridge to inspect ‘Thousand-Layer Rock’ before hooking back to the road that leads up to the pavilion.

Dingdu Pavilion

If you are based somewhere with views of the west mountains, in the early mornings you might be able to see the dawn light glinting off structures on several of the mountain peaks. Dingdu Pavilion is one of the structures that glints.

Story time: ‘Dingdu’ can mean ‘Pick [the location of the] Capital’. In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, they decided to move their capital from Nanjing (South Capital) to Beijing (North Capital). Famous Ming counsellor Yao Guangxiao – official title “The Crown Prince’s Preceptor” – was sent up to scout it out, and allegedly he was at the site of today’s Dingdu Pavilion when he pointed out the spot where the Forbidden City should be built.

We won’t go into the pavilion, which was closed for repairs after flood damage. Instead, we’ll steal some views from nearby before hiking on.

Guanghui Temple

Guanghui Temple dates back to the Ming Dynasty, and is a small temple with several halls that contain Boddhisatvas and Buddhas. The temple’s two ginkgo trees are both said to be more than a thousand years old.

We’ll follow an old pilgrim’s track from Guanghui Temple over the next hill to arrive at Tanzhe Temple. The cost of the hike includes entry tickets to the temple, and we’ll buy you tickets to take a look around inside before a rendezvous at the car park.

Tanzhe Temple

Tanzhesi was originally built in the original Jin Dynasty (265-420 AD) and added to and expanded in succeeding dynasties.

Tanzhe Temple covers an area of six hectares, and is said to be the oldest temple in the Beijing area, even older than Beijing city. Many of the buildings that can be seen in the temple were built during the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) Dynasties, but pagodas and other structures from the earlier Jin and Yuan (1271–1368) Dynasties still remain, including two ‘Emperor Trees’ that were planted roughly 1,000 years ago.

We’ll take a walk up the central axis of the temple, and then explore the pavilions and halls to either side on the way back down.

Also in the temple

• The Floating Cup Pavilion, where the Emperor Qianlong and his courtiers used to play an interesting drinking game.
• The Big Bronze Boiler, left over from the old kitchens of the temple. It's said that one boiler-worth of porridge could feed all the temple’s monks for a whole day.
• The Diamond Life-Extension Tower, a white stupa by a pool at the northern end of the temple complex.

Nearby the temple

The Pagoda Forest, where pagodas mark where the ashes of important monks are interred.

After a look around the temple we’ll gather in the car park for the traditional Beijing Hikers picnic, and then we’ll head back to the city.