Zhihuasi Temple

Cultural heritage

Zhihuasi is an ancient temple built in 1444, in the Ming dynasty, in eastern Beijing, famed for its well-preserved black-glazed-tile and nanmu-wood architecture. Its rarest treasure is the "Zhihuasi Jing music," a Ming-era Buddhist ritual music handed down by generations of musician-monks and hailed as a "living fossil" of Chinese music. Old temple and old music sustain each other, making this a rare site of living heritage.

Visiting: Among the austere Ming halls one can hear the monks perform the Jing music on sheng, guan, dizi and gong-chimes — experiencing the solemn sound of ancient scores and instruments in their original setting, where music and temple become one.