Last, there were the temple fairs that were actually flower markets. Though still named "temple fairs," flower markets had nothing to do with temples at all. Flower markets originated from temple fairs at the Huoshen Temple (Temple of Fire God), which had long been stopped. Nevertheless, its flower markets continued as a trading place for velvet flowers, silk flowers, paper flowers, and so on.

 Temples and Temple Fairs in Old Beijing

There were once more than 840 temples in Beijing. Yet not every temple had its own temple fair. Statistics in 1930 showed that there were 20 temple fairs in the city zone, with another 16 in the suburban area.

 Luzuge Temple

Located between Qianmen and Xuanwumen, the Luzuge Temple was constructed in memory of Lu Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals , in the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Luzuge Temple

Lu Dongbin lived during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). After twice failing the imperial examinations, he led a vagrant life for years. Later he met Han Zhongli, who taught him the secrets of alchemy. Then he became a hermit in the Zhongnan Mountain to seek the way of Immortality. He then roamed the empire and was said to have performed various magic arts to rid the world of evils, and finally became one of the legendary Eight Immortals.

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