Overview

The Emperors Temple of Past Dynasties (Lidai Diwang Miao) in Beijing (北京 Běijīng), also known as the Temple of Successive Emperors, is a royal temple from the Ming (明 Míng) and Qing (清 Qīng) dynasties dedicated to worshiping the ancestors of the Chinese civilization, along with successive emperors and notable generals. Located at 131 Fuchengmen Inner Street (阜成门内大街 Fùchéngmén Nèi Dàjiē), Xicheng District (西城区 Xīchéng Qū), Beijing, it was founded in the tenth year of the Ming Jiajing era (明嘉靖 Míng Jiājià) (1531) on the original site of Bao’an Temple (保安寺 Bǎo’ān Sì), which was reconstructed in the ninth year of Jiajing (1530) and renovated in the seventh year of the Qing Yongzheng era (清雍正 Qīng Yōngzhèng) (1729). The temple covers an area of 22,000 square meters, with a building area of approximately 4,000 square meters.

Architectural Layout

The Emperors Temple, oriented north-south, features a grand scale with a central axis layout. The buildings are arranged in three main sections—East, West, and Central. The central axis, from south to north, includes the glazed tile screen wall, wooden archway (now demolished), main gate, bell tower, Jingde Gate (景德门 Jǐngdé Mén), and Jingde Chongsheng Hall (景德崇圣殿 Jǐngdé Chóngshèng Diàn). The Jingde Chongsheng Hall is the temple’s main structure, second in scale only to the Hall of Supreme Harmony (太和殿 Tàihé Diàn) in the Forbidden City (故宫 Gùgōng). On each side of the hall are subsidiary buildings. The east route contains the Divine Kitchen (神厨 Shénchú), Divine Treasury (神库 Shénkù), Sacrificial Pavilion (宰牲亭 Zǎishēng Tíng), and Well Pavilion (井亭 Jǐng Tíng), while the west route primarily serves as the accommodation for sacrificial officials. This temple is the only existing temple in China dedicated specifically to the worship of past emperors, reflecting the long history of the Chinese nation and the historical characteristics of a unified multi-ethnic state. Additionally, it has significant historical and cultural value for studying ancient architecture and feudal systems.

Historical Development

• In the tenth year of the Ming Jiajing era (明嘉靖 Míng Jiājià) (1531), the Emperors Temple was founded, originally on the site of Bao’an Temple (保安寺 Bǎo’ān Sì).
• In the ninth year of Jiajing (1530), the temple was reconstructed.
• In the seventh year of the Qing Yongzheng era (清雍正 Qīng Yōngzhèng) (1729), the temple underwent major repairs.
• In the twenty-ninth year of the Qing Qianlong era (清乾隆 Qīng Qiánlóng) (1764), during a major renovation, the green glazed tiles of the Jingde Chongsheng Hall were replaced with yellow ones.
• During the Republic of China (中华民国 Zhōnghuá Mínguó) period, worship practices ceased, and the temple was repurposed by the China Education Promotion Association (中华教育促进会 Zhōnghuá Jiàoyù Cùjìnhuì) and other institutions.
• After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (中华人民共和国 Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó), the temple was used by Beijing’s No. 159 Middle School (北京市第一五九中学 Běijīng Shì Dì Yī Wǔ Jiǔ Zhōngxué).
• In 1954, two “Jingde Street” (景德街坊 Jǐngdé Jiēfāng) archways and three white marble bridges in front of the temple were demolished during road widening.
• In 2000, the temple underwent restoration to restore its historical appearance from the Qianlong period.
• In 2003, after the school vacated the temple, it was renovated into a museum funded by the Beijing municipal government and opened to the public.
• In 2004, some surviving components of the two archways were reassembled and displayed in the hall of the new building of the Capital Museum (首都博物馆 Shǒudū Bówùguǎn).

Architectural Features

Glazed Tile Screen Wall

The glazed tile screen wall features a gable roof and a green glazed tile surface, measuring 32.4 meters in length, 5.6 meters in height, and 1.35 meters in thickness. The wall’s center showcases a glazed flower design, with decorative corners.

Main Gate

The main gate features a black glazed tile roof with green trim, a single eave, and decorative painting. It spans three bays with a front and back staircase. In front of the gate, three stone arched bridges are flanked by “descending horse” stones, demonstrating the temple’s grandeur.

Bell Tower

Located on the east side of the east passageway, the bell tower has a black glazed tile roof with green trim and is adorned with decorative painting. It originally housed a bronze bell, which is no longer present.

Jingde Chongsheng Hall

This hall serves as the temple’s primary building for worshiping emperors and notable figures from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The hall measures nine bays in width and features a double-eaved roof with a yellow glazed tile surface. It has a white marble platform with stone railings and houses eleven niches for the tablets of past emperors.

East and West Annex Halls

The east and west annex halls, featuring black glazed tile roofs, house the spirit tablets of notable officials and military leaders from different dynasties, arranged according to the “civil east, military west” layout.

Stele Pavilions

On either side of the platform of the Jingde Chongsheng Hall stand two pavilions with yellow glazed tile roofs. These pavilions contain stele inscriptions from the Qing Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors.

Auxiliary Buildings

In addition to the main structures, the east route includes the Divine Treasury, Divine Kitchen, Sacrificial Pavilion, and Well Pavilion, while the west route includes various support buildings, many of which were reconstructed during the 2003 renovation.

Historical Worship

Worship History

From the eleventh year of the Ming Jiajing era (1532) to the end of the Qing Dynasty, a total of 662 grand ceremonies were held at the Emperors Temple of Past Dynasties (历代帝王庙, Lìdài Dìwáng Miào). The rulers of the Qing Dynasty placed great importance on the temple. In the year following the Qing’s entry into Beijing, regent Dorgon (多尔衮, Duō’ěrgǔn) ordered that officials should be sent to worship at the temple in spring and autumn. The same year, Emperor Yongzheng (雍正, Yōngzhèng) established the temple to honor the ancestral tablets of past emperors, mandating that the emperor himself would offer incense at the ceremony, while officials would do so at the altars of the Three Sovereigns (三皇, Sān Huáng).

In the second year of the Yongzheng era (1724), the emperor personally offered incense, standardizing the practice to three incense offerings. By the twenty-ninth year of the Qianlong era (1764), the Emperors Temple of Past Dynasties underwent renovation, with the addition of a stele pavilion in the southwest (featuring the “Inscription for the Renovation of the Emperors Temple” by Emperor Gaozong (高宗, Gāozōng)). The main hall and stele pavilion’s green glazed tiles were replaced with yellow ones, and inside the main hall, the plaque “Rewarding Merit and Observing Virtue” and couplets by Gaozong were added. During this renovation, the Jingde Chongsheng Hall (景德崇圣殿, Jǐngdé Chóngshèng Diàn) was elevated in status, with green glazed tiles replaced by yellow ones.

During the Qianlong era, the Jingde Chongsheng Hall also housed the ancestral tablets of 79 renowned ministers and generals, including Bo Yi (伯夷, Bó Yí), Jiang Shang (姜尚, Jiāng Shàng), Xiao He (萧何, Xiāo Hé), Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮, Zhūgě Liàng), Fang Xuanling (房玄龄, Fáng Xuánlín), Fan Zhongyan (范仲淹, Fàn Zhòngyān), Yue Fei (岳飞, Yuè Fēi), and Wen Tianxiang (文天祥, Wén Tiānxiáng). Notably, a separate temple was built for Guan Yu (关羽, Guān Yǔ), creating a unique “temple within a temple.”

Enshrined Monarchs

The founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元璋, Zhū Yuánzhāng), established the worship of 16 emperors, while the Shunzhi Emperor (顺治, Shùnzhì) of the Qing Dynasty set this number at 25 after moving the capital to Beijing. The Kangxi (康熙, Kāngxī), Yongzheng, and Qianlong (乾隆, Qiánlóng) emperors placed great emphasis on the Emperors Temple of Past Dynasties. Kangxi once decreed that all emperors who had reigned—except those overthrown or who lost their thrones—should have their tablets placed in the temple.

Emperor Qianlong further proposed the idea of “the continuous lineage of China,” selecting emperors from dynasties not originally represented in the temple for inclusion. After several adjustments, it was finally determined that the Jingde Chongsheng Hall would house 188 tablets of emperors from various dynasties, with the central alcove dedicated to Fuxi (伏羲, Fúxī), the Yellow Emperor (黄帝, Huáng Dì), and the Yan Emperor (炎帝, Yán Dì). The remaining six alcoves on either side would house tablets from the Five Emperors, the Xia (夏, Xià) and Shang (商, Shāng) dynasties, the Han (汉, Hàn) and Tang (唐, Táng) dynasties, and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (五代十国, Wǔ Dài Shíguó), among others.

Dynasty and Worshiped Emperors

Cultural Value

The Emperors Temple of Past Dynasties is the only existing temple in China specifically dedicated to the worship of past emperors. It reflects the long history of the Chinese nation and embodies the historical characteristics of a unified multi-ethnic country. Additionally, it holds significant historical value for the study of ancient architecture and feudal systems.

Preservation Status

In 1979, the Emperors Temple of Past Dynasties was designated as a second batch of municipal cultural heritage protection units by the Beijing municipal government. In 1996, it was recognized as a key national cultural heritage protection unit by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China.

Travel Information

Address:
Emperors Temple of Past Dynasties is located at 131 Fuchengmen Inner Street, Xicheng District, Beijing (北京市西城区新街口街道阜成门内大街131号).

Transportation:

• From Beijing West Railway Station, it is approximately 7.6 kilometers, taking about 36 minutes by car.
• From Beijing South Railway Station, it is about 8.7 kilometers, taking approximately 39 minutes.
• From Beijing Railway Station, it is around 8.4 kilometers, taking about 29 minutes.