The six-member group was led by the octogenarian Buddhist monk Zhang Benxing (张本兴, 1923-2009),[1] the only surviving member of the 26th generation of musicians, and the last person to have learned the music in the traditional manner.

In 2005 the Chinese government undertook a renovation of the temple (which is now complete) in preparation for the numerous international visitors expected at the time of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

A white marble plaque is embedded on the top of the gate, which is inscribed with the words "敕賜智化寺" in traditional Chinese characters, meaning "Gifted by the Imperial Court to Zhihua Temple".

The left and right sides of the shanmen are also inscribed with Chinese characters; the left inscription reads "正九年正月初九日奉旨敕建", which means "Built under Imperial order on the 9th day of the 1st lunar month of the 9th year of the reign of the Zhengde Emperor", while right inscription reads "萬曆五年三月三日司禮監管監事兼掌內府供用庫印提督禮儀房太監鄭真等重修", which means "Rebuilt by the eunuch Zheng Zhen, the Master of Ceremonies who oversees the inner palace and the ceremonial room, as well as others in the 3rd day of the 3rd month of 5th year of the reign of the Wanli Emperor".

The building, which was built during the Ming dynasty, originally enshrined statues of Maitreya, the deva Wei Tuo and the Four Heavenly Kings, but they are not extant now.

The Bell Tower (Chinese: 鐘樓; Pinyin: Zhōnglóu) is located on the east side outside the Zhihua Gate and consists of two floors.

The Drum Tower (Chinese: 鼓樓; Pinyin: Gǔlóu) is located on the west side outside Zhihua Gate and also consists of two floors.

The walls of the hall are also painted with Ming dynasty murals featuring the bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, Yanluo Wang, the Ten Kings of Hell and other Buddhist figures.

The Buddhist Texts Library (Chinese: 蔵經閣; Pinyin: Cángjīnggé) is located on the west side of the Zhihua Hall.