Biyun Temple was first built in the 2nd year of Zhishun era of the Yuan Dynasty (1331), originally named Biyun Hermitage, and has a history of over 600 years. In the ninth year of the Zhengde era (1514) and the third year of the Tianqi era (1623) of the Ming Dynasty, the eunuchs Yu Jing and Wei Zhongxian successively expanded Biyun Temple, forming the basic structure with Ming Dynasty architectural characteristics. In the thirteenth year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty (1748), Emperor Qianlong carried out a large-scale expansion of Biyun Temple, adding the Arhats Hall, the Vajra Throne Pagoda, and the Shuiquan Courtyard, giving the temple its present scale.

   Biyun Temple is situated in the northern part of Xiangshan Park. The entire temple is built against the mountain, facing east with its back to the west. The layout is centered around six main courtyards arranged along the central axis, complemented by one auxiliary courtyard each to the south and north, covering an area of over 40,000 square meters. With its halls rising in tiers along the mountainside, the temple is renowned as the most beautiful in the Western Hills. It was designated as one of the first key protected cultural relic units by the Beijing Municipal Government in 1957 and listed as a national key protected cultural relic unit in 2001.

   The first courtyard is the Mountain Gate Hall, where two statues of Dvarapala, Buddhist temple guardians commonly known as the “Hum and Ha”, are enshrined. On either side outside the hall stand the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower.

  The second courtyard is the Maitreya Hall, which houses a bronze statue of Maitreya Buddha cast during the Ming Dynasty.

  The third courtyard is the Hall of Mahavira, the main hall of Biyun Temple. The group of statues inside the hall depicts a scene of Shakyamuni Buddha preaching the Buddhist scriptures.