Baiyan Temple

Overview
Baiyan (White Rock) Temple is located in Jinxing Township, Dayi County, more than 60 kilometers away from downtown Chengdu. It was built under a huge white rock, and that’s how it gained its name. It is said to be constructed by the Indian monk in Yongping 16 years of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is the only Tibetan Buddhist temple in West Sichuan Plain, also the nearest one to Chengdu.

History & Background
Baiyan (White Rock) Temple is characterized by unique Tibetan style with commonly seen prayer wheel; there is a highly delicate Indian Buddhist stupa, which is considered to be a valuable asset in the architectural aesthetics. Ancient gingko trees were planted by the monks during the Ming Dynasty. It is said that one of them can be traced back to the Xia and the Shang Eras. Especially in the golden autumn when leaves flutter, the whole scene makes a beautiful picture. Jinxing Township, where the White Temple is located, boasts a forest coverage rate of 80%, of which rare species of Ginkgo reach more than 10,000 acres-- a veritable "Town of Ginkgo", also a beautiful recreation area with the theme beautiful ginkgo in Chengdu and even Sichuan.

In every October when Baiyan Temple is scattered with golden ginkgos leaves and tourists, it becomes a holy place for sightseeing and photography. Visitors who stand at the white wall, the peak of the temple and look down the hill, are able to spot vaguely the looming purple roof cornices of the temple, which can be found on the hillside seemingly to be covered with golden brocade, as if they were driving clouds from the sky; the white Buddhist stupa as an embellishment, fills the mountain with solemn atmosphere; the Lohan gallery with originality extends nearly 100 meters up the mountain, looking as the extremely high extending ladder. Further away, the ridge on both sides seems like the armrest of a seat, which pampers the white Temple; when people overlook through the gap between the two ridges, fertile land of western Sichuan glitter until the distant horizon.

Information
Location: Near Tianbai Road, Dayi County, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province
Opening time: all day
Ticket Price: free
Time for visiting: 2 hours