Yuanzhao Temple, called Puning Temple in the past, was built in Ming Yongle period (1403-24) on Mount Wutai, near the town of Taihuai, Shanxi province, and has gone through many processes of restoration during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The temple covers an area of 12,600 square meters at present, in which there are total 80 halls and rooms. A 16.7-meter high white pagoda in Tibetan style is located behind the main hall of the temple. Yuanzhao Temple's fame was mostly due to the pagoda for being a historic evidence of friendship and Buddhist exchange between China and Nepal.

Buddhist relics of Srishariputra, a Nepalese Buddhist monk were enshrined in the pagoda. He visited Mount Wutai to preach Buddhism in early Yongle period and spent a period of time in Yuanzhao Temple for meditation.