Shichahai Fire God Temple to be unveiled soon

Shichahai Fire God Temple

(BEIJING, March 6) -- After its first general overhaul in a century, the Fire God Temple at Shichahai area will be available to visitors before the Olympic Games take place in August, the Beijing Daily reported

According to archives, the temple was built in 632, the sixth year of the Taizong reign during the Tang dynasty. In later years, when fires occurred at the imperial palaces, the emperors would send officials to the temple to pray to the Fire God.

The honorific arch within the Fire God Temple

Located at Di'anmenwai Street in north-central Beijing, the temple was restored in 1346 by Toghon Temur (1333-1368), the last emperor of the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368). Major restorations also took place during the reigns of Ming Emperor Wanli (1573-1620) and Qianlong of the Qing dynasty. Most recently, the site was a compound occupied by households and also served as a military hotel before restorations started in 2002.

Designating it as a national-level cultural site to be protected, the Beijing municipal government put in 10 million yuan (about 1.4 million U.S. dollars) for its renovation. Later, another 24 million yuan was used to relocate the military hotel and some 50 households and refurbish the utilities and necessary facilities. The restoration process was launched only after some eight million square meters of non-cultural–relic buildings were demolished and cleared.

The dome-shaped ornamental wood structure on the ceiling of the temple

Today, there are many "firsts" in the temple. For instance, the dome-shaped ornamental wood structure at the main hall is in good shape with attractive wood carving features, rarely seen in similar temples. The temple still possesses color paintings of the Ming and Qing dynasties and the Republic of China. They will remain intact in the future.

The temple used to have two honorific arches, as discovered recently. Today, the one inside the temple yard has been restored, and the one outside will be restored, too, as its base stone has been found.