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The White Cloud Temple, also known as Baiyun Temple or the Abbey or Monastery of the White Clouds, is a
Taoist temple A Daoist temple (), also called a () or (), is a place where the Dao is observed and cultivated. It is a place of worship in Taoism. Taoism is a religion that originated in China, with the belief in immortality, which urges people to become i ...
and
monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
located in
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. It is one of "The Three Great Ancestral Courts" of the Quanzhen School of Taoism and is titled "The First Temple under Heaven".


History

The White Cloud Temple was first founded in the mid-8th century during the
Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
and was initially called the Temple of Heavenly Perpetuity (''Tianchang Guan''). During this period, the abbey was state-sponsored and staffed by an elite clergy. From 1125 to 1215 when what is now Beijing was controlled by the
Jin dynasty Jin may refer to: States Jìn 晉 * Jin (Chinese state) (晉國), major state of the Zhou dynasty, existing from the 11th century BC to 376 BC * Jin dynasty (266–420) (晉朝), also known as Liang Jin and Sima Jin * Jin (Later Tang precursor) ...
, the abbey served as the Taoist administrative headquarters and played an important role in state ceremonies. After Beijing was taken by the
Mongols Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...
in 1215, the abbey was taken over by the Quanzhen patriarch
Qiu Chuji Qiu Chuji (10 February 1148– 21 August 1227), courtesy name Tongmi (通密), also known by his Taoist name Master Changchun, was a renowned Taoist master from late Southern Song/ Jin dynasty and a famous disciple of Wang Chongyang, the foun ...
and became the headquarters of the Quanzhen movement until the establishment of the
Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...
. Qiuwho himself was known by the name Master of Eternal Springrenamed the abbey the Palace of Eternal Spring (''Changchun Gong''). Upon being summoned by
Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...
, Qiu undertook a three-year trek from
Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...
to give the great khan an exposition on Taoism, which he completed in October 1222. Qiu's successor, Yin Zhiping (; 1169–1251) built a memorial shrine over Qiu's grave. This shrine became a temple in its own right and became known as the White Cloud Temple. The abbey was damaged when the Mongols took over in the late 13th century and, during the Ming dynasty, the Palace of Eternal Spring was destroyed. However, the White Cloud Temple survived and took over the functions of its former parent. Under the Ming, clergy from the Zhengyi school took over operations of the abbey but continued Quanzhen traditions and ordination ceremonies. Zhengyi control over the temple continued until the 17th century, when their monopoly ended and the Quanzhen master Wang Changyue (; d.1680) took over. To this day, the White Cloud Temple remains controlled by the Quanzhen school.Goossaert (2008), 208. The abbey was without an abbot for the 1940s and was closed when the
communists Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, d ...
came to power in 1949. Unlike many other historical sites which were being destroyed during the
Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...
, the White Cloud Temple managed to survived but was also damaged. Today, it is again a fully functioning temple and is the seat of the
Chinese Taoist Association Chinese Taoist Association (CTA; ), founded in April 1957, is the official government supervisory organ of Taoism in the People's Republic of China. History In 1980, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party approved a request by t ...
.Goossaert (2008), 209.


Layout

Like most other Chinese temples, the White Cloud Temple is laid out on a north-south axis, with the entrance at the south end. There are five main halls built upon the main axis, beginning with the Main Gate, Yuhuang Hall , "Hall of the
Jade Emperor In the Chinese mythology, myths and Chinese folk religion, folk religion of Chinese culture, the Jade Emperor or Yudi is one of the representations of the Primordial Divinity (Tai Di), primordial god. In Taoist theology, he is the assistant of ...
"), Laolü Hall ), Qiuzu Hall (, "Hall of the
Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...
Qiu"), and finally the Sanqing Hall , "Hall of the Three Pure Ones"). On either side of the main axis are two smaller axes, each containing halls dedicated to a variety of deities. In the rear of the complex is a garden which hosts the abbey’s ordination platform.


Yuhuang Hall

This hall was first built in 1661 and was rebuilt in 1788. It is dedicated to the
Jade Emperor In the Chinese mythology, myths and Chinese folk religion, folk religion of Chinese culture, the Jade Emperor or Yudi is one of the representations of the Primordial Divinity (Tai Di), primordial god. In Taoist theology, he is the assistant of ...
, who oversees the Celestial Bureaucracy in Chinese religion. It is three bays long with a gabled roof, and is flanked by drum and bell towers.Qian, 142.


Laolü Hall

This hall has the same design as the Yuhuang Hall and was first built in 1456. The monastic community holds a twice-daily office in the Laolü Hall, and it is where ordination certificates are issued.


Qiuzu Hall

Originally built to enshrine
Qiu Chuji Qiu Chuji (10 February 1148– 21 August 1227), courtesy name Tongmi (通密), also known by his Taoist name Master Changchun, was a renowned Taoist master from late Southern Song/ Jin dynasty and a famous disciple of Wang Chongyang, the foun ...
, this hall was first built in 1228. It is three bays long with a front gallery.


Sanqing Hall

In 1428, the Sanqing hall was built. It is a two-story, five bay structure with a gabled roof that contains statues of the Three Pure Ones on the top floor and the Four Celestial Aides on the bottom floor.


Ordinations

Out of 20 Quanzhen ordination seminaries in the
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
, the White Cloud Temple was the most important of all. In order to become a Taoist monk of Quanzhen Order, novices first had to spend three years living in a temple. After accomplishing this, they were eligible to be ordained. The ordination was extremely harsh. Each novice had to undergo 100 days of brutal training that sometimes resulted in death. In modern times, this has been reduced to 53 days and is no longer as dangerous. After this training period, novices had exams on Taoist classics, poetry, and precepts. Afterwards, successful novices were fully ordained as Taoist monks. During the Qing dynasty, an average of 200 novices were ordained every four years. Ordination ceremonies ended after 1927, but were resumed in 1989.


Festivals

Every year on the 19th day of the first lunar month a festival is held at the abbey in celebration of Qiu Chuji's birthday. It has been thought that Qiu would return to earth as an immortal on this day. The festival was first held during the
Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...
, but was suspended after the People's Republic of China was established in 1949. The festival was revived in the 1990s and continues to be held to this day.Goossaert (2008), 210.


Gallery

Image:WhiteCloudTemplepic10.jpg, Image:WhiteCloudTemplepic1.jpg, Image:WhiteCloudTemplepic2.jpg, Image:WhiteCloudTemplepic5.jpg, Image:WhiteCloudTemplepic6.jpg, Image:WhiteCloudTemplepic9.jpg, Image:WhiteCloudTemplepic4.jpg, Image:WhiteCloudTemplepic8.jpg,


See also

*
Taoism Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...
& Taoist Canon * Master Changchun * Quanzhen School *
Dragon Gate Taoism The Dragon Gate sect (:zh:龍門派, 龍門派 Lóngmén pài) of the Quanzhen School, Complete Reality School (:zh:全真派, 全真派 Quánzhēn pài) of Taoism incorporates elements of Buddhism and Confucianism into a comprehensive form of Ta ...
* History of Taoism * Taoist schools *
Chinese Taoist Association Chinese Taoist Association (CTA; ), founded in April 1957, is the official government supervisory organ of Taoism in the People's Republic of China. History In 1980, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party approved a request by t ...


References


Citations


Bibliography

*Goossaert, Vincent. "Baiyun Guan." in Fabrizio Pregadio, ed., The Encyclopedia of Taoism (London: Routledge, 2008), 207-210. *Lai-Chi Tim. "Daoism in China Today: 1980-2002." ''The China Quarterly,'' 174(2003):413-427. *Qian Yun. ''Taoist Buildings: Ancient Chinese Architecture''. Springer, 2000. {{Old Beijing Buildings and structures completed in 1228 Religious buildings and structures completed in the 1220s Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Beijing Taoist temples in Beijing Buildings and structures in Fengtai District 13th-century Taoist temples