Tanzhe Temple, 30 km west of Beijing center, is the largest and oldest temple in Beijing. It was built in Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) and it is widely believed among the locals that ‘First was constructed Tanzhe Temple, then Beijing City’.
Behind the temple, there is a famous Dragon Pool (pool called tan in Chinese) and Zhe trees in front of the temple, hence the name. The layout of the temple is in an orderly fashion, divided into three parts: halls are mainly located along the central axis; courtyards in the east; and various altars in the west. The abbot room and rooms where the emperor used to stay are in the eastern part of the courtyards. The ancient trees in the temple are another sightseeing point. There is a 200-year old purple yulan flower, well-known as the largest in north China; numerous people flock here when the yulan blossoms early in spring. Also you can see the ‘Emperor Tree and Empress Tree, two famous ginkgo trees, named by Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty’. One is more than 1,000 years old, with a height of over 30 meters and a diameter of 4 meters; the other is a little smaller. It was said then that a branch would grow up from the root when a new emperor came to the throne.