Chinese He Hua Temple

He Hua Temple: Amsterdam’s Chinese Buddhist Temple

The He Hua Temple on the Zeedijk is easy to walk straight past – yet behind its red-and-gold facade sits the largest traditional Chinese Buddhist temple in Europe. It is the spiritual heart of Amsterdam’s Chinatown, a few minutes from the Red Light District.

This guide covers its history, the clever meaning of its name, what you can see inside, opening hours and visitor etiquette – plus the Chinatown around it.

Last updated: October 2026.

He Hua Temple at a glance

Hours and tour prices change with the temple calendar – always confirm on the official site before visiting.

History: how a Chinese temple reached the Zeedijk

The idea came from Amsterdam’s Chinese community. In 1994, Frank Man, chairman of the Chinese Entrepreneurs Association, and other business leaders asked the city for permission to build a Buddhist temple on a former playground on the Zeedijk.

The temple was realised by the Taiwan-based Fo Guang Shan order and its lay movement, the International Buddhist Progress Society, under Venerable Master Hsing Yun. Fo Guang Shan donated more than half the cost; local businesses and individuals funded the rest.

Dutch architect Fred Greven designed it in authentic palace style. His first plan was rejected as too small, so for the second he built everything around a Buddhist sacred measurement unit of 32 cm. It was officially opened by Queen Beatrix on 15 September 2000.

What “He Hua” means: a lotus and a pun

The full name is 佛光山荷華寺 – roughly “Buddha’s Light Mountain Lotus Flower Temple.” The “He Hua” (荷華) at its core is a lovely piece of wordplay.

荷 can mean lotus – a Buddhist symbol of purity rising from the mud – and it is also the character in 荷蘭, the Chinese name for the Netherlands. 華 means “Chinese” (and echoes “flower”).

So the name reads at once as “lotus flower” and as “Dutch-Chinese” – a blossoming of Chinese Buddhism in Holland.

Fo Guang Shan and Humanistic Buddhism

He Hua is one of hundreds of branches of Fo Guang Shan, founded in 1965 by Master Hsing Yun and headquartered in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. “Fo Guang Shan” means “Buddha’s Light Mountain.”

The order follows the Mahayana tradition and teaches “Humanistic Buddhism” – the idea that enlightenment is woven into everyday life and open to everyone. Its focus is on education, culture and charity rather than converting people.

What to see inside the temple

The centrepiece is the Guanyin Shrine, the main hall dedicated to Guanyin, the bodhisattva (goddess) of mercy and compassion. Downstairs you’ll find a Jade Buddha shrine.

Flanking statues honour Wei Tuo (Skanda), a protector of the Dharma, and Qie-Lan (the deified general Guan Yu). There is also a meditation hall and an ancestors’ hall where visitors can quietly pray or sit.

Look up, too: the roofline carries small statues of the Chinese zodiac animals, the granite stairs and balustrades were carved in China, and the yellow glazed roof tiles were specially remade in the Netherlands after the original Taiwanese tiles cracked in the Dutch weather.

Visiting He Hua Temple: hours, entry & etiquette

He Hua Temple is free to enter and open to everyone, but its public hours are short – mostly a window around lunchtime, and closed on some days. It is a genuinely calm stop away from the crowds.

A few simple rules of etiquette:

• Dress modestly – cover shoulders and knees, nothing revealing.
• Keep quiet and your phone in your pocket; this is a working place of worship.
• Don’t touch the altars or statues, and remove your hat before the main hall.
• Ask before taking photos, and never photograph people praying.

He Hua Temple and Amsterdam’s Chinatown

Yes – Amsterdam really does have a Chinatown, and the He Hua Temple is its landmark. It is small but lively, clustered around the Zeedijk and Nieuwmarkt, full of Chinese, Thai and other Asian kitchens.

The temple anchors the neighbourhood’s big moments. The Zeedijk hosts Amsterdam’s Lunar New Year celebrations, and on Vesak Day (the full moon in May) a statue of the Buddha is carried in procession from the temple to Nieuwmarkt, followed by a free vegetarian meal.

Pair your visit with a bowl of noodles at one of the best Asian restaurants in Amsterdam, just steps away.

How to get there & what’s nearby

The temple is easy to reach on foot. It is about a ten-minute walk from Amsterdam Centraal, straight into Chinatown.

• On foot: ~10 minutes from Centraal Station via the Zeedijk.
• Metro: Nieuwmarkt station (lines 51/53/54), then a one-minute walk.
• By tram: to Dam Square, then about a five-minute walk east.

The temple is one of the true hidden gems of the Red Light District – see our guide to the best things to do in the area to build it into your day.

Frequently asked questions about the He Hua Temple

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia, the temple organisation’s site ibps.nl, the Amsterdam architecture centre Arcam, and reporting by DutchReview. Opening hours and tour prices change – always confirm with the temple before you visit.

Written and maintained by the Amsterdam Red Light District Tour editorial team.

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About the author — Martijn, Amsterdam guide

Martijn has guided hundreds of tours through Amsterdam’s Red Light District and De Wallen over the past years. He writes from first-hand experience — the shows he has seen, the bars he knows and the streets he walks every week — and his tours and photos also feature on TripAdvisor. Everything here is checked against what he and our local guides see on the ground.

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