The White Cloud Temple is in southwestern Beijing, directly behind the Broadcasting Building. It was called the Temple of Heavenly Eternity during the Tang Dynasty and the Temple of the Great Ultimate during the Jin Dynasty. It is the largest Daoist architectural complex in Beijing and was the headquarters for the Dragon Gate sect.

Although historical records indicate that there were Daoist temples in Beijing during the Tang Dynasty, it was not until the early Yuan Dynasty that they came to be built on a large scale. The Yuan Emperor Shizu (Kublai Khan), whose reign lasted from 1260 to 1293, appointed a Daoist priest from Shandong province to the position of"National Teacher,"which nominally put him in charge of all Chinese Doaist affairs.

This priest's name was Qiu Chuji, but he was commonly known as the Sage of Eternal Spring (Changchun Zhenren). While Qiu Chuji was in Beijing, he resided in the Temple of the Great Ultimate, which he expanded and renamed the Temple of Eternal Spring (Changchungong).

From then on, it became the center of Daoism in northern China. It was not until the Zhengtong era (1436-1449) of the Ming Dynasty that its current name was adopted.

[source:ebeijing.gov.cn]