The Temple Hotel

Originally built as three Tibetan Buddhist temples in the early QIng Dynasty, The Temple Hotel is today a beautiful first-class boutique hotel and cultural venue. Located between the Northeast corner of the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park, it is open to the public every day, and is widely regarded as one of the best examples of heritage preservation in the Asia region.

When The Temple Hotel team decided to take up the challenge of renovating the centuries-old Buddhist temple, they had one very important goal in mind, which was to conserve and preserve all of the buildings’ history. It took the restoration team a few years to complete the project, but finally in 2012 when it was finished, The Temple Hotel received a UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award of Merit for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

The Main Hall, both the architectural core and showpiece of The Temple Hotel, is regularly used for hosting cultural events, such as theater performances, music recitals, film screenings, formal banquets, and other art happenings. The buildings running along the Eastern side of The Temple Hotel have been tastefully fitted for conferences and meetings with period furniture and art installations. Even the lighting, both natural and artificial, in and around these spaces has been carefully considered to enhance and draw out the spiritual aspects of this former temple.

In the Gallery, The Temple Hotel exhibits its own art collection; the space regularly features the work of local and international artists. Past art events have included private viewings of classical and contemporary carpets, documentary and art film screenings, outdoor projections in the courtyard outside the main hall, as well as performances from world-famous musicians, and an ongoing series of classical music recitals. In the past few years, the photography work of Robert Doisneau, He Chongyue, and Irene Kung have all also been exhibited at the Gallery. Art and culture have always been an integral and vital part of The Temple Hotel’s identity. According to its founders, the reimagined space has always been planned as a living museum and cultural arts space.

The Temple Hotel is home to the permanent installation Gathered Sky by world-renowned American artist James Turrell. His first and only work in China, Turrell’s installation spectacularly explores light, color, and the subtle nuances of human perception. It is also China’s only Skyspace, a specially constructed room with an open ceiling that allows visitors to view the sky above. Over the course of a few hours, viewers can observe the slowly changing colors of the sky during a sunset, juxtaposed with the shifting colors of the controlled artificial lighting within the chamber. Sunset viewing sessions may be attended by the general public every Saturday and Sunday with the purchase of an admission ticket.

Over the year there are many organized art events, screenings, and rotating exhibitions on the grounds of the hotel. The exciting and diverse range of planned cultural activities, combined with the rich history of the site’s buildings, make The Temple Hotel a must-visit destination for travellers and local art lovers alike.

Images Courtesy of The Temple Hotel & Ben McMillan

^{* This listing was updated on 7 July 2024. Please contact the business directly or look them up on 大众点评 for the most up-to-date information.}