Beijing's Yu Qian Temple

Beijing Yu Qian Temple

Beijing Yu Qian Temple is a cultural relic protected at the municipal level in Beijing.

Yu Qian Temple is located at No. 23 Xibiao bei Hutong in Dongcheng District. The original gate plaque read "Yu Zhongsu Public Temple." Yu Qian (1398–1457), courtesy name Tingyi, was a native of Qiantang, Zhejiang. He was a renowned military strategist and statesman of the Ming Dynasty. After the Tumu Crisis, Yu Qian supported Zhu Qiyu as emperor and led soldiers and civilians in defending Beijing. Following Emperor Yingzong’s restoration to power, Yu Qian was executed in the first year of the Tian Shun era (1457) on charges of treason. In the second year of the Cheng Hua era (1466), Emperor Xianzong posthumously reinstated his official position and converted his former residence into the Zhongjie Temple. In the 18th year of the Wan Li era (1590), his posthumous title was changed to "Zhongsu," and a statue of Yu Qian was erected in the temple. During the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, the statue was destroyed and the temple fell into disuse. It was rebuilt again during the Guangxu period. The temple faces south and is situated to the north. To its east lies Yu Qian’s former residence. On the eastern side of the courtyard stands the Kuiguang Tower, a two-story building. The upper floor is the Kuixing Pavilion, which hangs a wooden plaque inscribed with “Hot Blood Through the Ages.” The main hall consists of five rooms serving as the worship space, featuring a flush-gable roof covered with rounded tiles. Inside is enshrined a statue of Yu Qian. In 1890, the Boxers set up an altar here. In 1976, the Kuixing Pavilion was destroyed in an earthquake, and the small building was demolished. The temple is a key cultural relic under protection in Beijing.

Yu Qian (1398–1457), courtesy name Tingyi, art name Jie’an, was a native of Renhe (present-day Hangzhou) in the Ming Dynasty. He came from a family of scholar-officials. Gifted and intelligent from a young age, he was raised with a strong family education. At the age of six, he entered a private school, and at fifteen, he passed the county-level Confucian student examination. He extensively read various books, particularly admiring the writings of Su Wu, Zhuge Liang, Yue Fei, and Wen Tianxiang, revering their integrity and moral character. After failing the local imperial examination at seventeen, he devoted himself to study. By the age of twenty, he ranked among the top students as a government-supported scholar. At twenty-three, he passed the provincial examination, and the following year, he achieved first place in the metropolitan examination in the capital. In the 19th year of the Yongle era (1421) of the Ming Dynasty, he passed the imperial examination but, due to his critical policy proposals during the palace examination, only...  More detailed information about Yu Qian++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Relic Protection Units in Beijing