Three Hills Convent

Three Hills Convent is the third temple of the Eight Great Temples of the Western Hills. It is situated among tile Cuiwei Hill, Pingpo Hill and Lushi Hill, hence the name. The year of building the convent is unknown, but it was renovated during Emperor Qianlong's reign (1736-1795). The convent is not large and consists of only one courtyard, it is of rather exquisite construction. At the doorway of the main hall there is a rectangular “Cloud and Water Stone, ” carved with images of scenery, human figures and animals. To the east of the main hall is a small kiosk with an inscribed plaque, which reads, “Cuiwei Hill is part of a painting. ” Looking out from here, tourists can see many peaks covered with pines and cypresses. The temple is set in the midst of a dense forest that provides a cool and pleasant place for a stroll. Dining the hottest days, tourists will find an ideal place to flee the heat. The Temple of Great Compassion The Temple of Great Compassion is the third temple of the Eight Great temples of the Western Hills. Climbing up the Thee Hills Convent, tourist pass a lot of strange rock formations before reaching the fourth of the Eight Great Temples, the Temple of Great Compassion situated on the half slope of the the Pingpo Hill. The temple was first built in the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) . It got its present name in 1712 and restored in 1975. The three main halls in the temple compound date from different eras of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the most recently built being the rearmost Hall of Great Compassion. On the front hall hangs a plaque inscribed with the words “Sea of Compassion, ” and the courtyard before it is thickly planted with a rare species of bamboo, which remains green throughout the winter. The courtyards also contain potted landscapes, fragrant plants and decorative rockeries. Also of interest to tourists are the two huge ginkgo trees in the rare courtyard, reputed to be more than 800 years old. The carved statues of the eighteen Arhats (immortals) in the front hall of the temple are some of the finest in all of the eight Great Temples. Legend relates it that the renowned Yuan Dynasty sculptor Liu Yuan made them.