"Not a tourist attraction. It's a library."

Paulo Dutra

"The Fire God Temple in Huaershi, officially named the Fire Virtue Temple, is a Taoist temple with a long history on Xihuashi Street in Dongcheng District, Beijing. The main deity is the Fire Virtue of the South, and the co-deity is the Zhenwu Emperor of the North. The Fire God Temple was first built in the second year of the Longqing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1568) as a branch of the Wuyuan Temple in Shenmuchang, and was dedicated to the Fire Virtue Temple. It was rebuilt in the 41st year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1776). [1] According to the "Chenyuan Shilue", "The Fire God Temple is located in Huaershi. It was built in the second year of the Longqing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1568) as a branch of the Wuyuan Temple in Shenmuchang. There is a stele of Li Qi, the Right Minister of Justice during the Wanli reign. It was rebuilt in the 41st year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1776). There is a stele of Cui Yingjie, the Left Censor-in-Chief. The market is open from the front of the temple to the west gate on the fourth day of each month." The temple building has been damaged by fire many times. The Beijing Municipal Archives holds a "Report from Qi Yanzhang, the Abbot of the Fire God Temple in the Outer Third District, on the Renovation of the Temple Buildings" dated September 11, 1939. It states: "Due to carelessness on June 7 of this year, the North Hall in the back yard of this temple, along with the Jade Emperor Pavilion upstairs, totaling six rooms, was burned down. Five rooms each in the east and west side halls, a canopy, and the three-room back slope of the Fire God Temple in the front yard were also burned down. It is planned to renovate the North Hall in the back yard and the six-room building into a gray building with a corridor." The shed has three large rooms. The original five east and west side rooms will be renovated as before, and the rear slope of the Fire God Temple, which was burned in the front yard, will be renovated. The three east side rooms in the front yard will also be renovated, while the three west side rooms will have their rear eaves and roofs demolished. The second bell and drum tower will be repaired and repainted. The wooden fence in front of the gate will be repaired and painted, and the flagpole will be renovated. In 1928, the first national martial arts hall in Daxing County, Beijing, was established in the temple. Baguazhang successor Cheng Tinghua (known as "Cheng with Glasses") taught his students here. During the Qing Dynasty, the backyard of the Fire God Temple was used as a "water association" responsible for firefighting. In 2003, the Fire God Temple was designated a Beijing Municipal Cultural Relic Protection Unit, and renovations began that same year. During the renovation of the main hall's ceiling, two plaques dating from the Kangxi reign were discovered: one with gold characters on a blue background reading "Li Zhao Si Quan" (Libi Zhao Si Quan), and the other with black characters on a gold background reading "De Fu Yang Guang" (De Fu Yang Guang). Both plaques feature a red inscription reading "Xian" (De Fu Yang Guang) in the middle. A plaque from the third year of the Tongzhi reign, inscribed "Yang Qi Shen Wei," was also discovered hanging on the front of the main hall's side porch. After the renovation, the Chongwen District Library used the temple as a temporary lending area as it prepared to renovate its new building on the original site on Xingfu Street. After Chongwen District was incorporated into Dongcheng District, the temple became the temporary lending area for the Dongcheng District Library."

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