Travel China and Beyond

The Red Snail Temple (Hongluo Si) - an interesting place to visit in the vicinity of Beijing

If you are looking for a way to experience somewhat of a different side of Beijing, you need to head out in the countryside outside of the city. Earlier last year I posted an article about touring the Beijing area - mountains and villages within driving distance. Today I will point you in the direction of one of the temples outside of the city — the Red Snail Temple located North-East of Huairou (north-east of Beijing).

The temple is one of the most attractive and (possibly) largest temples in Beijing and vicinity. It includes a significant area set in the mountain immediately behind the main temple grounds. Thus you could spend almost a whole day hiking the slopes of the mountains and enjoying the views of the plains towards Beijing (in case you are lucky to have clear weather on the day you visit). According to historians, the temple was built in 4th century A.D. Later in the 14th century it was named as “temple guarding the country” as it had relatively commanding position in the mountains… Then the legend states that red snails were found in the pools of water in the temple and the new name was given — Hongluo Si (Red Snail Temple).

No matter what the legends are, the temple is a beautiful place to visit, especially in the early spring when trees begin to blossom. Here later in the year, you can also see plenty of ginko trees. Here are some photos from the temple grounds and a view from the mountain above the temple.

If you need directions for getting there, essentially you need to head out on JingShun Road towards Shunyi. Then follow the signs for Huairou and once in that town look for sign for HongLuo Si. Drop me a line via the comment option on this blog or email me if you need more information. Here is also a map you can pick up Beijing Travel Map: China Regional Maps 2005/2006 Edition (Periplus Travel Maps)