The annual Yulan Fragrance Festival is now underway at Dajue Temple, a Buddhist shrine outside Beijing which can boast more than 1,000 years of history.

The flower festival runs until April 30 and focuses on the beautiful Yulan flower, part of the magnolia family, along with cultural events and various travel promotions.

Dajue Temple is best known though for its Yulan trees, planted almost 300 years ago.

There are many flowers and trees in the courtyards, the finest being the magnolias. It is said that a monk brought two of the specimens found in the southern courtyard from Sichuan during the Qianlong era, and one of them survives today. Another magnolia in the northern courtyard was transplanted about 100 years ago, and grows alongside a ginkgo tree.

The ancient tree usually blossoms around the April 5 every year, during the traditional Chinese Everbright Festival.

Dajue Temple, or the Temple of Enlightenment, stands at the foot of Yangtai Hill in Beijing's western suburbs. The rolling hills here are sometimes said to resemble a sleeping lion.

The vista of two flanking temples, the Lotus Temple and the Temple of Universal Grace-sitting atop Hills to the west and east of the Temple of Enlightenment, is popularly described as "A lion Rolling Two Embroidered Balls" or "A Buddha and Two Bodhisattvas."

The principal structures in the temple are the Maitreya (Future Buddha) Hall, the main hall, the rear hall, the northern and southern courtyards and, at the very rear of the complex, a peaceful courtyard. The roof brackets and columns of the halls date from the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

A mountain spring flows by the Qiyun (Restful Clouds) Pavilion in the rear courtyard.

By the spring is a stupa which stands at the highest point in the temple complex.

Inside the temple is a Liao Dynasty (916-1125) stela on which it is recorded that, more than 1,000 years ago, the temple was named the Clear Stream Court after the nearby springs. Although the carving is blurred and the stela itself broken into two pieces, most of the inscription remains legible.

There are a number of interesting sights in the immediate vicinity. They include Vulture Peak; the tomb of a Qing prince; Yang Family Garden and Lotus Temple and the Temple of Universal Grace. All are accessible by mountain roads.

Minghui Tea House is located in the temple and offers a tea service with Taoist features.

Recently some mountain villas were built near the temple to provide a dining, entertainment and accommodation service for visitors to the temple.

The most convenient is Miaoling Villa, about 5 kilometers south of the temple.

The villa itself is also worth a visit thanks to the vast area of Yulan, peach and pear blossoms, and the Buddhist culture apparent from its layout and decoration.

An inkslab, about 4 square meters, is said to be the largest in China and is displayed in the villa.

The inkslab is held by nine stone dragons. The sculpture attracts many visitors.

Inside the courtyard of the villa are many Yulan trees, which are all in blossom now.

The villa offers entertainment and sports facilities ranging from swimming pool, bowling, tennis, sauna, massage, dance hall, movie house, and shooting.

Different styles of dishes are also available.

For a two-bed suite here, expect to pay around 380 yuan (US$48) a day. The fee includes some entertainment facilities.

To get to Dajue Temple and Miaoling Villa, take the Badaling Highway to the north and get off at the Beianhe Exit. Then take Beiqing Road to a T-junction. Turn left for the villa and turn right for the temple. Check signposts along the way.

For visitors starting from west of downtown Beijing, go north beyond the Summer Palace, pass through Heishanhu, Xibeiwang, Heilongtan (Black Dragon Pool) and the Wenquan (Hot Springs), and then go through the two villages of Beianhe and Zhoujiaxiang before coming to a steep path, which leads to the main gate of the Dajue Temple.

Bus route 346 from the Summer Palace gets you to Beianhe Nankou Stop. which is 2 km from the temple.

Entrance: 10 yuan (US$1.2).

Temple tel: 86-10-62456163 (Chinese only)

Villa tel: 86-10-62481188; 86-10-62450047 (Chinese only)

(Beijing Weekend April 14, 2004)