Imperial Ancestral Temple

Imperial Ancestral Temple, also known as the Working People's Cultural Palace, lies to the east of Tian'anmen Rostrum and opposite of the Zhongshan Park. It was built in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the temple covers an area of 200 mu (13.3 hectares) and was served as a place to hold memorial ceremony for their ancestors. The movie,Big Shot's Funeral, showed its unique architecture characteristics.

The central part consists of three magnificent halls, each with its own auxiliary hall. The front hall is the largest of the three. It has a double-eaved roof and sits on a three-layer stone base. The south of the temple has a spacious courtyard with long corridors enclosing it on each side. At the southern end of the courtyard is a compound with a pavilion and several exquisite stone bridges spanning the Golden River (Jinshuihe). A forest of ancient cypress trees surrounds these buildings with their strong yet simple style. The temple was listed as important heritage site under state-protection in 1988.

Travelling tips:

Hours: 8 am to 8 pm

Admission: 2 yuan

Traffic: Subway Line 1: Get down at Tian'anmen East; Bus No.s 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20, 52 and 57;

Tel: 86-10-65252189.

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