About this place

The Temple of Xiannong is located on the west side of Beijing's central axis line and opposite the Temple of Heaven. It was built in the Ming Dynasty nearly 600 years ago.

Xiannong was the god of agriculture. At the beginning of the agricultural season every spring, emperors came to the temple and performed rituals to ensure a bountiful harvest.

The Temple of Xiannong is a typical temple complex of China's ritual architecture. Besides the God of Agriculture, there were some other gods such as the God of Mountains, Jupiter and Wind that were worshipped here. These deities are mostly gods of nature who might help with good harvests."

At the end of China's dynastic period, the Temple of Xiannong stopped serving as a place of worship and was used for several other functions. For almost 100 years, it served as a park, a market, a school and a factory, but its achitecture was well maintained.

Renovation of the temple started in the late 1980s, and it was opened to the public as the Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum in 1991. The major renovations were completed by 2003 and the main buildings were restored to their original appearances

Only a few visitors a day come to the Temple of Xiannong, quite a contrast to the hordes that crowd into the other four temples. But Xiannong's relative quietness lets them carefully appreciate the buildings and ancient culture.

As the altar of sacrificing the God of Agriculture, the temple complex has less adornments than other palaces in Beijing. Although it is not as magnificent as the Forbidden City, it is really decent and definitely worth a visit."

The museum hosts year-round architectural exhibitions with artifacts, photos of historical buildings and elaborate models on display. Professional architects and people interested in architecture come here often to learn about and admire China's ancient architecture.

The Temple of Xiannong is not just a place for appreciating the marvelous creativity of ancient people, but also a venue for educational and ex-curricular activities. It provides exhibitions and activities for youngsters to learn about China's history and architecture.

As a theme museum, the temple is not as well-known as the Temple of Heaven or the Forbidden City. But if you are fed up with the crowds and noise at the more popular temples and other sites, the Temple of Xiannong is undoubtedly a good place to visit. You can enjoy the peaceful atmosphere or just sit quietly in the courtyard and imagine what it was like here hundreds of years ago.