Beijing Ancestral Temple

Beijing Ancestral Temple

The Beijing Ancestral Temple is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a protected cultural heritage site of Beijing.

The Ancestral Temple is located on the northeast side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

The Ancestral Temple was the imperial ancestral temple where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped their ancestors. It was first built in the 18th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1420), covering an area of more than 200 acres, and was constructed according to the ancient Chinese tradition of “revering Heaven and honoring ancestors.” The temple has a rectangular floor plan, measuring 475 meters in length from north to south and 294 meters in width from east to west. It is surrounded by three layers of walls and consists of three main halls that form a three-tiered enclosed courtyard. The main hall stands at the center of the entire temple complex, featuring a width of eleven bays and a depth of four bays, with a construction area of 2,240 square meters. It has a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, rests on three tiers of white marble Sumeru pedestals, and is encircled by stone railings. The main beams and pillars of the hall are clad in agarwood, while other architectural components are made of precious golden-thread nanmu wood. The ceiling and columns are adorned with gold leaf decorations, all exquisitely crafted and luxuriously appointed. The Ancestral Temple was the venue for imperial ancestral worship ceremonies. On either side of the main hall are fifteen auxiliary halls each—on the eastern side are shrines dedicated to the deified spirits of meritorious imperial clan members through the ages, and on the western side are those for meritorious officials of non-imperial lineage. Behind the main hall lie the Central Hall and the Rear Hall, both nine-bay structures topped with yellow glazed tile hip-and-gable roofs. The Central Hall is called the Sleeping Hall, and the Rear Hall is known as the Ancestral Spirit Hall. Additionally, there are auxiliary structures such as the Divine Kitchen, Divine Storehouse, Sacrificial Animal Pavilion, and Animal Preparation Room. The Ancestral Temple is also famed for its ancient cypress trees, many of which are hundreds of years old and display a variety of majestic and venerable forms. After the Xinhai Revolution, the temple remained temporarily under the ownership of the Qing imperial family. In 1924, it was opened as Heping Park (Peace Park), and in 1950, it was renamed to its current title, the “Working People’s Cultural Palace.” (Source: National Cultural Heritage Administration)

Suggested Duration

2 hours

Admission Fee

Park ticket: 2 RMB

Opening Hours

8:00-22:00

Location

No. 37, Dongjiaominxiang Lane, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Municipal-Level Protected Cultural Heritage Sites in Beijing

· Third Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level