Temple of Fire, Beijing

Temple of Fire, Beijing

The Temple of fire is 1800 years old. Constructed during the Tang Dynasty, this temple is also called the Fire Spirit Temple. Initially located near Dianmen, Beijing at Shishahai, it was rebuilt in the sixth Zhizhen year during Yuan Emperor Shun’s reign. It was further expanded during emperor Wanli’s rule who added the glazed tiles in an effort to keep away repeated fires at the Imperial court.

Further renovations took place during the reign of Qing Emperor Qianlong when the roofs of the pavilions and gates were beautified with yellow tiles. The Temple of Fire as we see today retains all its original features.

This temple has its own culture the most prominent among them being the Fire Patriarch’s birthday celebrations. This celebration is held on the twenty second day of the sixth lunar month. Back then, officials were sent on this day to the temple by the emperor to pray on his behalf to the Fire God.

This Imperial temple was at one time under the control of The Orthodox Oneness Sect’s Daoists. When the Celestial Master’s came to visit the emperor, Temple of Fire was their residence. Today the temple stands in ruins after thousand years of being at the receiving end of winds and rains. Government designated this temple as a historic site in 1981.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Beijing. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Temple of Fire on Map

Sight Name: Temple of Fire
Sight Location: Beijing, China (See walking tours in Beijing)
Sight Type: Religious

Walking Tours in Beijing, China

Create Your Own Walk in Beijing

Create Your Own Walk in Beijing

Creating your own self-guided walk in Beijing is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Beijing's Historical Temples Tour II

Beijing's Historical Temples Tour II

The places of worship are some of the best links to the city's history. The unique churches, Buddhist and Taoist Temples, and beautiful Muslim Mosques all tell great tales of the history of Beijing. Despite that many of them have been partially or completely destroyed over the years either by wars or by the changes of political power, a good number of them still remain. You can visit a few...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.1 Km or 1.3 Miles
Beijing's Historical Temples Tour I

Beijing's Historical Temples Tour I

Chinese temples are of unique beauty and have withstood many dynasties. However because the temples have always been connected to the imperial families, many of them were destroyed when the last dynasty ended in 1911. Nevertheless, a great number of beautiful temples with great history still stand in Beijing. Take this self-guided walking tour to discover a few famous temples in the northern part...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.9 Km or 0.6 Miles
Beijing City Center Walking Tour

Beijing City Center Walking Tour

A political, cultural, and economic center of China for the past eight centuries, Beijing is the newest of the country's Four Ancient Capitals.

The city boasts the grandest and best preserved imperial palaces, gardens and temples, including seven UNESCO World Heritage sites, such as the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Ming Tombs, Zhoukoudian, and parts of the Great Wall...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.7 Km or 2.3 Miles
Olympic Park Walking Tour

Olympic Park Walking Tour

The Olympic Park in Beijing was built for the Olympic and Paralympic Games of 2008. This modern complex represents a contemporary architectural approach as compared to the more traditional buildings that dominate the city. Among its signature items are the iconic Bird's Nest, otherwise known as the main Olympic stadium, and the beautiful Water Cube – the Aquatics Center for water sports.
...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.6 Km or 3.5 Miles

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