Although the temple was damaged during the Cultural Revolution and poorly renovated afterward, the Sleeping Buddha remains. Built in 627-629, during the Tang Dynasty, the temple was later named after the reclining Buddha that was brought in during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). An English-language description explains that the casting of the beautiful bronze, in 1321, enslaved 7,000 people. The temple is inside the Beijing Botanical Garden (www.beijingbg.com/en_index.htm); stroll north from the entrance through the neatly manicured grounds.
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