Zhihua Temple stands in a hutong in eastern Dongcheng, a stone's throw from the busy road at Chaoyangmen but completely hidden from it. It was built in the 1440s by a Ming eunuch of great influence, and because it survived both the dynastic transition and the twentieth century without being rebuilt to a later fashion, its halls preserve Ming timberwork and Ming roof forms more completely than most temples in the city. It is small, dark and quiet, and almost always empty.
The temple music
The reason to come for many visitors is the music. Zhihua Temple kept its own ensemble of hereditary musicians - laymen who passed the repertoire from father to son over some five centuries - and the tradition survived because it was never recorded, printed or institutionalised, but simply taught by ear. The ensemble plays a form of Buddhist ceremonial music with wind instruments, percussion and a distinctive pairing of a small mouth organ and a reed pipe, and the repertoire is thought to preserve elements of Ming court and temple music that have disappeared elsewhere. It is recognised as a form of intangible cultural heritage, and short performances are given at the temple on a regular schedule; check the times when you arrive, since they are limited and not always advertised in English.
The buildings
The halls themselves are the other reason to visit. The main hall is a Ming structure with original painted decoration in the roof beams - traces of Ming polychrome that survived because the ceilings were sealed, and which were uncovered again in the twentieth century. The roof of the hall behind it is unusual, and the stone stele pavilion and the bell and drum towers are all original. Because the temple is small, it is easy to see these details up close in a way that is impossible in the major sites.
Practical notes
The temple is open daily except Mondays and charges a small admission; it functions partly as a small museum and cultural centre, with exhibits on the temple's history and on the music. It is a short walk from a metro station on lines 2 and 6. Allow about an hour, and rather more if you catch a performance. Its location makes it easy to combine with the Drum and Bell Towers and the hutong lanes to the west, or with the shops of the old city, since it sits between the centre and the eastern business district.
