Beichan Temple Travel Guide

Brief Introduction
Beichan Temple is located on the North Hill in Xining City. It covers the area of 28,000 square meters (about 6.9 acres).

Beichan Temple was first built during the Northern Wei period (386-534) on the hillside, topping dangerous rocks and bottoming a deep valley. It is the earliest representative of religious architecture in Qinghai Province. It was constructed based on a natural faultage on the mountainside according to Danxia Landscape featuring stone alternating between softness and hardness. Looking up you can see the crag and looking down you can see the cleft. Only the temple hangs in the middle, hence its other name Xuankong Temple (Hanging Temple). It is the second largest Xuankong Temple in China.

In the temple, there are nine grottoes and 18 caves, with painted patterns of sunken panels, murals, and statues of Buddha. The architectural structure of the two-story main building is unique and exquisite. The cable car at the foot leads to the top of the hill, where people can enjoy a panoramic view of the city of Xining.

Features
Featuring Buddhist architecture and Taoist architecture styles it is renowned by its name. A Bright Pearl on the Southern Path of the Silk Road. The red crags on the hillside have been eroded, shaping like a Buddha.