The Xingjiao Temple in the city of Xi'an, capital of China's Northwest Shaanxi province, is famous because the bone relics of a renowned Chinese Buddhist monk named Xuanzang, from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), are buried there.

Emperor Tang Suzong wrote two characters "Xing Jiao (Flourishing Teaching)" on the temple's stupa, which means that Buddhism would flourish by inheriting Xuanzang's achievements.

The scenery in Xingjiao Temple, amid the Zhongnan Mountain and Fanchuan River, adds to the spiritual tranquility. The temple contains the Bell and Drum Towers, a front gate hall, a Mahavira Hall or main hall, a preaching hall, a meditation chamber and monks' dormitories. 

The temple is in possession of more than 10,000 volumes of Buddhist canons and many other precious cultural artifacts.

A series of stone tablets in it are inscribed with the full text of the Diamond Sutra. It's a famous Buddhist site in China and an ideal tourist destination for Buddhist followers and those who worship the master Xuanzang.

It was on the list of cultural relics units in Shaanxi province for the Chinese Silk Road's UNESCO World Heritage Site application in July 2012.

Address: Duji town, Chang’an district, Xi'an, Shaanxi province

Open hours: 8 am-5 pm

Ticket price: free

The Xingjiao Temple in Xi'an. [Photo/Xinhua]