Beijing Medicine King Temple

Beijing Medicine King Temple

Beijing Medicine King Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Destination Introduction

The Medicine King Temple is located on Dongxiaoshi Street in Chongwen District. It covers an area of over 20 acres. Originally built during the Tianqi era of the late Ming Dynasty by Marquis Wuqing, it is also known as the Southern Medicine King Temple due to the many such temples in Beijing during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Situated north of the Temple of Heaven outside the Inner City, it is larger in scale than other Medicine King Temples.

The main buildings of the temple are divided into eastern and western sections. The western part is designed in the style of a traditional temple: the mountain gate is inscribed with “Imperially Authorized Medicine King Temple.” Originally, there were two large iron lions in front of the gate, and a pair of tall flagpoles stood inside the gate. From the twelfth lunar month to the end of the first lunar month each year, large red lanterns were hung from the flagpoles, behind which were the bell and drum towers used for timekeeping.

The eastern structures are arranged along a north-south axis. Parallel and adjacent to the mountain gate is a row of street-facing wing rooms. Facing these is the first hall, the Lüzu Hall, dedicated to Lü Dongbin—one of the Eight Immortals. Behind it are the Wenchang Hall and the Zhenwu Hall. Behind the Zhenwu Hall is a theater stage, and to the north of the stage lies the Medicine King’s Sleeping Quarters, where the Medicine King and the Ten Famous Physicians are enshrined. To its west is a small auxiliary hall dedicated to the God of Wealth, Zhao Gongming.

At the very end is a two-story wooden building with seven and a half rooms on each floor. The upper floor houses dozens of deities including the Eastern King, the Sun God, the God of Mount Tai, the Kitchen God, and the Five Northern and Southern Patriarchs—most of them carved in wood or cast in bronze. The lower floor stores ceremonial items and miscellaneous supplies for worship. To the east are seven or eight small courtyards, mostly used as living quarters for temple staff.

Most of the eastern temple buildings have been demolished. In the western section, apart from the mountain gate, the main three-story halls and auxiliary chambers remain largely intact to this day. They are key cultural relics protected by Chongwen District.

Location: Located on Dongxiaoshi Street in Chongwen District

Area: Over 20 acres

The Southern Medicine King Temple has three main levels of halls. The first level is the Medicine King Hall, spanning three bays, with three-bay auxiliary halls on the east and west sides. The main hall enshrines statues of Fuxi, Shennong, the Yellow Emperor, the Medicine Sage Sun Simiao, and the Medicine King Wei Zizang. On both sides of the main hall stand the Ten Famous Physicians. The east auxiliary hall is dedicated to the Horse King and the Dragon King, while the west auxiliary hall is dedicated to the Matchmaker. The second level has a main hall and auxiliary halls of the same architectural style and size as the first level. The main hall is the Jade Emperor Hall, enshrining the Jade Emperor, with the Four Heavenly Kings standing on the east side and weapons displayed on the west. The east auxiliary hall is dedicated to the Goddess Doumu, and the west auxiliary hall is dedicated to the Nine Holy Mothers. The third level is the Three Pure Ones Hall, spanning five bays, with the Three Pure Ones—the Yuqing Yuan Shi Tianzun, Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun, and Taiqing Taishang Laojun—enshrined in the center. On both sides are enshrined more than ten other Taoist deities. Flanking the Three Pure Ones Hall are auxiliary halls, and in the courtyard, over 30 stone steles stand on the east and west sides, inscribed with dedications and records from notable figures during the construction of the various halls—though these no longer exist today. Directly west of the Three Pure Ones Hall, and aligned with it, is a two-story small building. The lower floor is the Guan Yu Hall, and the upper floor is the Tang Minghuang Hall.

Attraction Location

No. 16, Dongxiaoshi Lane 2, Dongcheng District, Beijing