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As one of China's major Taoist temples, this is now the headquarters of the China Taoist Association. The Baiyun (White Cloud) Temple in the West District of Beijing is the largest Taoist establishment in Beijing. It is remarkable for its age. It was originally founded in 739 AD. and was burned down and then rebuilt, hence most of the buildings now date from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The temple conducts traditional Taoist ceremonies and is crowded with monks and their followers--and tourists--on Taoist holy days.
The fair at Chinese New Year is particularly noteworthy. The temple has a superbly decorative triple-entrance archway. As a visitor enters, they will proceed through a series of halls. Each hall is dedicated to a different Daoist deity. The Baiyun Guan is the chief temple of the Quanzhen Taoist sect and the center of the Longmen sub-sect. In China, Taoist temples are not actually called temples, but Guan. (Guan means something like "to look at" or "observe".) Buried in the compound are the remains of Qiu Chuji, a famed Yuan Taoist guru who lived in the temple all his life. For this reason, Taoists in China regard the White Cloud Temple as their ancestral sanctuary.
Around
Souvenirs and Food
There are many restaurants around Fuxingmen Subway Station, which is only a 3 km distance from Baiyunguan.
Jingweilou If you want to eat some traditional Beijing snacks, foods that have been satisfying the city's populace for centuries, Jingweilou is an ideal place for you to taste Beijing snacks and foods.
Recommended snacks: Rolling Donkey (Lu Da Gun): refers to a kind of cake made with steamed glutinous millet or steamed sticky rice, filled with red pea, and then drizzled over with fried bean flour. After being cut into blocks, the cake is rolled in soybean flour, looking like a donkey rolling on the ground raising dust, hence the name.
Pea Flour Cake (Wan Dou Huang): Made with white peas, pea flour cake is a favorite springtime snack and was very popular among members of the Imperial Court.
Mung Bean Milk (Dou Zhi): It looks grayish-green and tastes mostly sour with a tinge of sweetness with a peculiar odor. It is definitely an acquired taste. First-timers often drink mung bean milk accompanied with a few Chinese-style pickle wedges which locals say makes it easier to consume.
Filled Sausage is a dish made with intestine filled with starch, minced meat and some spices. It is first steamed and then cut into cubes and fried. When it is done, it looks inviting with salty water and garlic juice.
Fried liver is actually done with such raw material such as pig's intestines and some liver with some soy sauce, mashed garlic, starch, aniseed etc. used as seasonings. The intestine is boiled with the seasonings and later the liver is added. When cooked, the juice is sparkling and clear while the intestine is tender and the liver is tasty.
Address: Floor 9, Mingyuan Hotel (West of Parkson), No.99 Fuxingmenwaidajie
Open: 10:30--23:00
Tel: +86 10 5839 9511, +86 10 5839 9980
Also, there are many Chinese and western style restaurants as well as coffee shop in 1st, 2nd, 5th floor of Parkson so eating in Parkson is a good choice.
Bus: 19, 48, 114, 708, 727 to Baiyun Guan
Open: 8:30-16:00
Tel: +86 10 6346 3531
Address: Baiyunguan Jie, Xibianmenwai, Xuanwu district, Beijing
