The second phase of a renovation project at an ancient temple dedicated to
the worship of the God of Wind was started yesterday in Beijing.
The Xuanren Temple, located on the northeastern side of the Forbidden City,
was built in 1728 during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It is one of the famous
"Outer Eight Temples" surrounding the former imperial palace.
The gate of the temple, the bell and drum towers, and the Front Hall, also
called the Tianwang Hall, were already revamped in the first phase of the
repairs started in March of last year.
The ongoing renovation, which is expected to last nearly eight months, will
repair the remaining structures, and the walls and paintings, said Yu Ping,
vice-director of the Beijing Cultural Heritage Administration.
Yu told reporters yesterday that the major buildings in the 276-year-old
temple, such as the front, middle and rear halls, have all been preserved to
today, which is very rare in Beijing.
Many other ancient temples in the capital city have lost many of their
original architectural layouts due to social turbulence over the centuries.
Wind, which directly affects people in their daily work and lives, has been a
subject of worship since remote antiquity. Xuanren Temple was a special place
where people could pray to the God of Wind for favourable weather.
However, the temple was occupied by a medical institution after the Qing
Dynasty, China's last feudal dynasty, which ended in 1911.
After the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, the Beijing
Municipal Bureau of Health became the owner of the temple and then changed the
buildings into dorms for medical staffers, said Guo Jiyong, vice-director of the
bureau.
Guo told China Daily that in 2002, the temple was occupied by some 30
households and the ancient buildings were in danger of collapse due to a lack of
regular maintenance.
Guo said it cost more than 10 million yuan (US$1.2 million) to remove the
households from the temple at the end of 2002.
When the renovation is finished next August, the temple may be open to the
public for the first time since 1949, said Guo.
The entire repair work on the temple is estimated to cost at least 4.7
million yuan (US$568,000), said Yu.
Some other temples of the "Outer Eight Temples," such as the Ninghe and Pudu
temples, have been or are being repaired in a bid to rehabilitate the original
landscape of the Imperial Palace.
