Baijiatuan Yixianwang Ancestral Temple

　　Baijiatuan Village is one of the earliest settlements in the Hot Spring area to appear in historical records. Traveling from the capital over Hongshankou Pass toward Hot Springs, Nankou, Beianhe, and Miaofeng Mountain, Baijiatuan was a necessary stop along the way. The village stretches east–west along the northern foothills of Sanzhuxiang, Huangdaoling, and Bantianyunling. Long and narrow, it is traversed by a three-li-long street lined with shops and bustling with foot traffic, serving as a local hub for transportation and commerce.

　　Legend has it that Baijiatuan was originally called Baizhitang (“White Paper Beach”). Many years ago, there was an artisan named Zhang Zhong who made a living cutting paper through generations. His exquisite craftsmanship earned him widespread fame, hence the name Baizhitang, which eventually became Baijiatuan. Another theory says that early residents made a living crafting armor, displaying their products for people to view and select, hence the name Baijia Tun (“Armor Display Settlement”).

　　As for when the name changed to its current form, there is no definitive research. However, records from the Ming dynasty already mention Baijiatuan.

　　On the southern side of the western section of Baijiatuan Village’s three-li-long street stands a large square. At the northern end of the square is a grand theater stage facing south, while at the southern end is a historic royal structure — the rare imperial clan ancestral temple in Beijing’s suburbs, known as Yixianwang Ancestral Temple. The temple enshrines Yinzhi, the thirteenth son of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing dynasty. The Yixianwang Ancestral Temple faces north and consists of a mountain gate, front hall, main hall, and theater stage. The mountain gate is one bay wide and one bay deep, with a hip-and-gable roof and elevated ridge adorned with decorative animal figures, gray tubular tiles, vertical beasts, and five small beasts. It has a brick-and-stone imitation wood structure, and the arched gate lintel bears the inscription “Yixianwang Ancestral Temple.” Originally, there were two small side gates on either side, both with flush gable roofs, elevated ridges, and gray tubular tiles. In 1993, the government carried out protective restoration on the mountain gate but did not restore the two side gates. The front hall is three bays wide and one bay deep, constructed in grand style, single-story with a flush gable roof, and gray tubular tiles. It features rectangular, six-panel doors and windows, with polychrome paintings in the swirling-clouds style. Each of the east and west side halls is three bays wide, built in grand style, single-story with a flush gable roof, featuring vertical beasts, five small beasts, and drainage spouts. Due to severe leaks and the risk of collapse, they were demolished in June 1982. The main hall is three bays wide and two bays deep, with a gray tubular ridge, flush gable roof, elevated ridge, decorative animal figures, and drainage spouts. It has a projecting front pavilion with three bays under a hanging hip-and-gable roof, featuring swirling-clouds-style polychrome paintings, round columns with ancient mirror column bases, and a front terrace. There is one side room each on the east and west sides, built in grand style, single-story with a flush gable roof, and gray tubular tiles. Due to long-term neglect, the buildings had sunk, walls cracked, and to prevent potential collapses that could harm students, the structures were covered with steel wire mesh. With government funding, the main hall underwent major dismantling and restoration in 2001. On the central axis of the Yixianwang Ancestral Temple is a furnace base, with stone stelae on the left and right. A stone stele also stands on the northwest side of the front hall. Today, the three stone stelae have been moved to the west wall of the ancestral temple. Among them is the “Imperial Decree Granting Cultivated Land to Yixianwang Ancestral Temple in Baijiatuan” stele, with a dragon head finial and square pedestal, now located on the west wall of Baijiatuan Primary School. Another is a fragmentary stele without a finial or pedestal, recording the number of bannermen in Baijiatuan, Taizhouwu, Yangjiazhuang, Shiwo Village, Buzitou Village, Tundian, Liangjiadian, and Yangfang Village. The third stele lies flat on the ground.

　　Yinzhi, commonly known as “Thirteenth Prince,” was born in October 1686 during the 25th year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign and passed away in 1730 during the eighth year of Emperor Yongzheng’s reign, at the age of 45. Yinzhi’s birth mother, Lady Zhangjia, was deeply favored by Emperor Kangxi, who also held Yinzhi in high regard. At the age of 13, Yinzhi left the capital for the first time to accompany his father on a visit to the ancestral mausoleum. Thereafter, Emperor Kangxi frequently took him on tours around the country. Of Kangxi’s six southern inspection tours, Yinzhi accompanied him on the most. This clearly shows how much favor Yinzhi enjoyed in his youth from his imperial father. Yinzhi remained steadfastly loyal to Emperor Yongzheng throughout his life, playing an instrumental role in implementing new policies, recommending capable individuals, and enforcing strict household discipline. He was pivotal in consolidating power in the early Yongzheng years, a role well depicted in the TV series “Yongzheng Dynasty.”

　　In the early Yongzheng years, Yinzhi was ordered to develop water conservancy projects in the Baijiatuan area of western Beijing to eliminate flooding. Later, he “often visited this place while hunting.” Yinzhi loved the local customs and beautiful natural scenery, so he decided to build a villa here as a retreat. However, Yinzhi passed away prematurely due to illness before the villa could be completed. After his death, local villagers such as Zhang Ming, moved by Yinzhi’s benevolence, petitioned to establish a memorial temple. Emperor Yongzheng granted funds to convert Yinzhi’s villa into an ancestral temple, which was completed in June 1723 during the tenth year of Yongzheng’s reign, and named Yixianwang Ancestral Temple. In the 19th year of Qianlong’s reign (1754), four similar temples outside the capital were converted into Guan Yu temples by imperial decree, leaving only the Baijiatuan Yixianwang Ancestral Temple in Beijing still standing. In the early liberation period, Xiangshan Jingyi Youxue (a school) was temporarily relocated here before being turned into Baijiatuan Primary School.

　　(1754), the four external Yixianwang Ancestral Temples were, by imperial decree, repurposed as Guan Yu temples, leaving only the Baijiatuan Yixianwang Ancestral Temple in Beijing preserved. In the early days after liberation, Xiangshan Jingyi Youxue was once moved here, later becoming Baijiatuan Primary School.

　　Opposite the Yixianwang Ancestral Temple is a large theater stage. The stage is three meters tall, faces south, and features a flush gable roof with drainage spouts. It is three bays wide and two bays deep, with an interlocking roof design, ridged finials, gray tubular tiles, square pillars, and swirling-clouds-style polychrome paintings. The stage faces the mountain gate across a distance, forming a protruding rectangle. The adjacent building is three bays wide, with a front porch forming the stage platform, which once served as a venue for villagers’ entertainment, hosting operas every year. In the 1960s, scenes from the film “Red Flag Pledge,” including Zhu Dagui selling birds, were shot here. The stage hosted traditional costume dramas, while the square in front was arranged like an old-time market, filled with a variety of rural daily goods and snacks. At the southern end, borrowing the scenery of the ancestral temple’s mountain gate, a lively bird market was set up, bustling with vendors and buyers. Soldiers roamed the streets. On that day, tens of thousands of spectators came from all directions to enjoy the festivities.

　　In 1985, the Baijiatuan Yixianwang Ancestral Temple was designated as a municipal-level cultural heritage site by the Beijing Municipal Government. The theater stage was renovated in 2004 with funding from the district government and repainted.

　　Baijiatuan Village is surrounded by mountains and water. To the south are contiguous orchards growing cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, grapes, apples, and more. The formerly terraced slopes have now been developed into villa communities. The Beijing–Mi Yun Water Diversion Canal flows slowly from west to east through the village. Lands previously used for rice and vegetable cultivation are now undergoing new rural construction projects according to updated planning.