Former Site of the Beiji Pavilion Meteorological Observatory

Former Site of the Beiji Pavilion Meteorological Observatory

The Former Site of the Beiji Pavilion Meteorological Observatory is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Beiji Pavilion is a hill within Nanjing, also known as Qintian Mountain. It is located east of Gulou, bordered by Jiming City and Xuanwu Lake to the north, connected to Gulou Hill to the west, and adjacent to Fuzhou Mountain to the east. It earned its name from the establishment of a solar observatory during the Liu Song Dynasty.

Beiji Pavilion is a hill within Nanjing, also known as Qintian Mountain. It is located east of Gulou, bordered by Jiming City and Xuanwu Lake to the north, connected to Gulou Hill to the west, and adjacent to Fuzhou Mountain to the east. Its ancient name was “Jiming Mountain,” and due to its shape resembling a chicken coop, it was also called “Jilong Mountain.” During the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court installed instruments on the mountain’s peak to observe celestial coordinates, naming it the Astronomical Observatory, later renamed Qintian Mountain. During the Southern Dynasties, it served as an imperial garden. In the 18th year of the Hongwu reign in the Ming Dynasty, the Astronomical Observatory was rebuilt. In the 7th year of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty, the Qing royal family moved all the astronomical instruments from the observatory to Beijing and built the “Wanshou Pavilion” and “Imperial Stele Pavilion.” In 1927, Zhu Kezhen initiated the establishment of the Institute of Meteorological Research under the Academia Sinica, and in the same year, China's first modern national meteorological observatory—the Beiji Pavilion Meteorological Observatory—was established here, marking the birthplace of modern meteorology in China. In 1948, the Academia Sinica selected 81 academicians and held its first academician meeting at Beiji Pavilion.

In modern times, the astronomical observation and research functions of the former Imperial Astronomical Bureau's observatory on the mountain were transferred to the Purple Mountain Observatory. The eastern foothills of Beiji Pavilion are home to Jiming Temple, which was first built during the Liang Dynasty. The southern side of the hill, now the site of Southeast University, was part of the northwest area of the Ming Dynasty Imperial College.

In May 2013, the State Council (State Council Document [2013] No. 13) announced the Former Site of the Beiji Pavilion Meteorological Observatory as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units