Five Pagoda Temple of Beijing

Five Pagoda Temple(五塔寺) is located in Haidian District of Beijing. It was established in the reign of Emperor Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty. There are five small stone pagodas built in 1473. According to the historical record, during the early period of reign of Emperor Zhu Di, an Indian monk arrived in Beijing from western area of Asia. He presented Emperor Zhu Di five golden figures of Buddha and the pictures of Jing-Kong Throne. The emperor had a happy chat with him on Buddhist scriptures and then appointed him the national religionary leader. Afterwards, the Emperor ordered to build up the Jing-Kong Throne Pagoda and refitted the temple in accordance with the pictures that this respectable and dignitarial monk offered. The established temple became the popular destination for people to climb mountains on Double-Ninth Festival and go for a walk in the country on Tomb-Sweeping Day. 
 
During the Qing Dynasty, the emperor restored the pagoda for celebrating his mother's birthday. Jing-Kong Throne Pagoda of Five-Pagoda Temple was built in the form of Indian style pagodas. It is the earliest one that has been established among ten similar pagodas. It owns most beautiful modality. It is qualified to be the representative of building styles and the artistic form of stone carving in Ming Dynasty. The pagoda is made of the bricks and bluestones.

Jing-Kong Throne Pagoda is the representative of Buddhist arts. the pagoda is densely rich in the Buddha footmark, figures of Buddha, five-pagoda throne, bodhi trees, heavenly king, arhat, Indian language and scripture. Majority of this content is closely linked with Buddhism and will be greatly helpful to the Buddhist research. This pagoda is superficially built conforming to Indian style, but it is cmbined with Chinese traditional architecture conception and stone carving theory. It is the real evidence to show the  Sino-foreign cultural exchange. It was listed as the first group of cultural relics protected by government.