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Temple Fairs in Old Beijing
Luzuge would open on the 1st and 15th of every month. People came to burn
incense before a statue of Lu Dongbin and pray for their health.
Yaowang Temple
Four Yaowang temples were located in the four directions respectively of the
old Beijing city. Not only were the figures of Fuxi, Shennong, and Huangdi, the
mythological kings of ancient China, consecrated, but also highly skilled
doctors in Chinese history were worshipped, such as Wei Cizang, Sun
Simiao, Bian Que, Zhang
Zhongjing, Hua
Tuo, and Wang
Shuhe .
The Nan Yaowang Temple (South Yaowang Temple) was the busiest one among the
four temples. It opened on every 1st and 15th, as well as on April 28th, the
birthday of the Medicine God.
Nan Yaowang was constructed in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Figures in this
temple were quite eerie. For instance, the figure of Fuxi, the legendary
ancestor of humans after a devastating flood, was modeled with the head of a
kirin (a mythical unicorn), the mouth of a dragon,
and long hair. Citizens came to the temple to pray for health. Medical people
also prayed for the success of their business. In fact, staff at Tongrentang
(a famous pharmacy based in Beijing) used to visit the Yaowang Temple regularly.
Baiyun Taoist Temple
Located on Xibianmenwai Avenue in Beijing City, the Baiyun Taoist Temple is
one of the most famous Holy Lands of Taoism in China. It was first constructed
in the 27th year (739) of Emperor Kaiyuan's reign in the Tang Dynasty (618-907)
and the original name was the Tianchang Taoist Temple (the Temple of the
Ultimate Supreme). As the ancestral temple of the Quanzhen Longmen Sect of
Taoism, it is the largest Taoist building in Beijing City and known as the First
Taoist Temple of Quanzhen Tao.
The 1st to the 19th of the first lunar month were the busiest days for the
Taoist temple. People came to worship the God of Star on the 8th. The 18th was
the day to "meet immortals," But supposedly, only pious people could have the
chance to see the immortals. The 19th was the birthday of Qiu
Chuji , once the patriarch at Baiyun. Some aristocrats and high officials
used to give out money on this day in the hopes of attaining immortality.
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