Fire God Temple

　　The Fire God Temple, also known as the "Imperially Commissioned Temple of the God of Fire Virtue," is located outside Di’anmen in Beijing, adjacent to Shichahai. The temple was first built in the sixth year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty (632 AD), and has a history of over 1,300 years. It was renovated in the sixth year of the Zhiyuan era under Emperor Shundi of the Yuan Dynasty (1346 AD). During the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era, due to repeated palace fires, the emperor ordered the expansion of the Fire God Temple and bestowed glazed tiles to suppress the flames. In the 24th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1759 AD), it was renovated again, with “the gate and rear pavilion both adorned with yellow tiles.”

　　The main structures of the Fire God Temple are largely well-preserved. At the southern end is the Long’en Hall, which enshrines the Long’en True Lord, Wang Lingguan (the Heavenly General of the Jade Pivot Fire Mansion). Further north is the main hall, the Fire Ancestor Hall, which worships the God of Fire Virtue, Yinghuo Star Lord of the South—commonly referred to as the Fire Ancestor or Fire God. Originally, the Fire Ancestor Hall housed an imperial plaque and couplet inscribed by Emperor Qianlong. The plaque read “Commander of the Southern Utility,” and the couplet read: “Grains and beans alike rely on benevolence; success achieved through aid. Locust and elm trees spread out in order; beauty perfected through cultivation.” Additionally, the hall features an exquisitely crafted gilded octagonal dragon caisson ceiling, rarely seen in Beijing. To the north of the Fire Ancestor Hall lies the Doumu Pavilion, which once displayed an imperial plaque inscribed by Qianlong reading “Marvelous Pivot of the Celestial Mechanism.” The northernmost structure is the “Ten Thousand Years Jingming Pavilion,” commonly known as the Jade Emperor Pavilion, which once bore an imperial plaque inscribed “Purple Cloud Incense Altar.” Under the connecting corridors on either side of the Ten Thousand Years Jingming Pavilion were side gates that led directly to a waterside pavilion behind the temple, from which one could view the misty waves of Shichahai—unfortunately, this no longer exists.

　　Over time, the Fire God Temple developed its own unique folk customs, the most significant of which is the grand celebration on the 22nd day of the sixth lunar month, the birthday of the Fire Ancestor. In the past, the emperor would send officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to conduct worship ceremonies each year. (According to the Ming Xi Zong Veritable Records: “In March of the first year of the Tianqi era (1621 AD), it was ordered that officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices perform the ritual for the God of Fire Virtue on the 22nd day of the sixth month, and this was established as a decree.”) In the late Qing Dynasty and during the Republic of China period, the Fire God Temple held annual Ghost Festival rituals, where wealthy families funded the construction of massive “Universal Salvation Boats,” which were burned on the temple’s outer pathway. Spectators crowded the pathway, making it a renowned scenic sight in the capital.

　　Although the Fire God Temple is a royal Taoist temple, it has always been managed by priests of the Orthodox Unity sect. Legend has it that when the Celestial Master Zhang visited the capital, he often stayed at the Fire God Temple. In the 1930s and 1940s, the temple’s abbot, Taoist priest Tian Zijiu, was highly sociable and well-known in society, reputed to be one of the “Four Young Masters of the Capital” and also known as the “Most Handsome Elder Taoist of Peking.”

　　Source: Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development

Fire God Temple