FIRE GOD TEMPLE (HUODE ZHENJUN MIAO) · HUODE ZHENJUN MIAO
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Jingshan, Beihai, Houhai & the Drum Tower · 39.936°N 116.389°E
FreeClosure day
A small imperial Taoist temple on the east bank of Qianhai, 300 m from the Drum Tower, founded (by tradition) in 632 and rebuilt under the Yuan, Ming and Qing; the yellow glazed roofs were added in 1610 after a run of Forbidden City fires. Vacated and restored in 2001-2005 and now run by the China Taoist Association as a working temple (district government). Free, three courtyards, ten minutes — the district's one place to see live incense and a Taoist altar rather than a museum.
EntranceGate faces east onto Di'anmen Outer St, just south of the Drum Tower; the temple backs onto the lake
Last verified 2026-09-11
How to book
None neededNot independently verified — check official channels before you go
Beat the crowds
Empty on ordinary days. On Chinese New Year's Eve and the first days of the lunar year it holds the 'first incense' and Tai Sui rituals and queues form on Di'anmen Outer St (tourism-bureau page).
Language
Chinese only inside; a single bilingual heritage plaque at the gate (our expectation, not checked in 2026)