Nine Altars and Eight Temples

The Nine Altars and Eight Temples refer to 17 sites in Beijing that played a significant roles in imperial ritual and worship under the Qing dynasty,[1] some of them going back to earlier periods of the history of Beijing. As some of the altars are clustered in the same locations, the same ritual venues are occasionally referred to as only "Five Altars and Eight Temples".[2]

Nine Altars

Eight Temples

  • Imperial Ancestral Temple (太廟 tàimiào) in present-day Working People's Cultural Palace southeast of the Forbidden City
  • Hall of Ancestor Worship (奉先殿 fèngxiāndiàn) within the Forbidden City
  • Hall of Transmission of the Heart (傳心殿 chuánxīndiàn) within the Forbidden City
  • Hall of Longevity (壽皇殿 shòuhuángdiàn) in present-day Jingshan Park north of the Forbidden City
  • Temple of Ancient Monarchs (歷代帝王廟 lìdàidìwángmiào) within the city walls west of the Imperial City
  • Tangzi (堂子 tángzǐ), a shamanic ritual site of the House of Aisin-Gioro that stood on the location of present-day Beijing Hotel until demolition in the 20th century
  • Palace of Peace and Harmony (雍和宮 yōnghégōng) also known as the Beijing Lama Temple, Tibetan Buddhist complex within the city walls north of the Imperial City
  • Temple of Confucius (孔廟 kǒngmiào) immediately west of the Lama Temple

See also

References

  1. ^ "600 Years in the Making: Why This Place Embodies China Like No Other". The China Travel. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  2. ^ "Five Altars and Eight Temples in Beijing". Beijing Tourism. 25 July 2022.