Badachu, the "Eight Great Sites" to use its English translation, refers to the eight Buddhist temples and monasteries scattered across the Cuiwei, Pingpo and Lushi Hills at the foot of Beijing's Western Hills. A national class-AAAA scenic tourism area, Badachu Park is one of the primary groups of major historic sites under provincial protection and a mountain park rich in Buddhist temple atmosphere.  With the highest peak 464 meters above the sea level, the park occupies 253 hectares. The coverage rate of vegetation reaches 97.4%.  Badachu Park is a relaxing spot to come in both summer and winter, as the temperature is somewhat milder than in central Beijing, though autumn is the most popular time as the leaves on the trees turn red.  There is a cable car to the summit of the highest peak.

Badachu consists of Changan Temple (Temple of Eternal Peace), Lingguang Temple (Temple of Divine Light), Sanshan Nunnery (Three-hill Nunnery), Dabei Temple (Temple of Great Mercy), Dragon Spring Nunnery (Dragon Spring Nunnery), Xiangjie Temple (The Temple of the Fragrant World), and Zhengguo Temple. The eight ancient temples were constructed respectively in the Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, and after repairs and reconstructions throughout the history, the ancient architectures of these temples are still well-preserved today.  Natural sights include the many rare trees, as well as the Cave of the Precious Pearl (formerly the residence of a Qing Dynasty monk) and the Hill of the Mysterious Demon.

There are three places including the Temple of Divine Light, the Temple of Great Compassion and the Temple of Fragrant World most worth visiting in Badachu Park. At the Temple of Divine Light, there is the towering pagoda with the Buddha's Tooth relic hidden within it, the time-honored base of the Thousand-Buddhist-Statues Pagoda from the Liao Dynasty, the golden fish pond, the huge "Arhat wall" and the "Heart Sutra wall". The highlight of the second temple is the vivid statues of the 18 Arhats carved by Liu Yuan, a renowned sculptor in the Yuan Dynasty in the Mahavira Hall. The third temple with complete sets of Buddhist statues and offering devices is well-known for its two steles with dragon heads and tortoise bases, which bear inscriptions written by three emperors of the Qing Dynasty -- Kangxi, Qianlong and Jiaqing.

For photos of Badachu Park, click here!