CN-1776650 The "White Tower Temple" ( 白塔寺)

The "White Tower Temple" ( 白塔寺), is a Chinese Buddhist temple on the north side of Fuchengmennei Street阜成门内大街in Xicheng District西城区 of Beijing.

There were temples built on this site since the Liao and Yuan dynasties. The temple's famous white tower also dates to the Yuan Dynasty. However, the present-building dates to the Ming dynasty. In 1961, then Chinese Premier Zhou En-lai signed a Proclamation stating that the Temple was to be protected as a National Treasure. This Proclamation kept the White Tower Temple safe during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s.

In 1976, the temple was seriously damaged by the Tangshan earthquake. The top of tower tilted to one side, and the bricks and mortar supporting the tower crumbled off, and many relics were broken.

In 1978, the Beijing Department of Cultural Relics undertook the task of repairing and renovating the temple. The courtyards, the four corner-pavilions, the Hall of the Buddhas of the Three Ages, the Hall of the Heavenly Kings (Tianwangdian) in front of the stupa, the Hall of the Seven Buddhas and the tower itself were repaired and renovated.

This postcard came from Jack Lee (5 November 2015) Postcrossing.