Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum Xiannongtan Temple

Xiannong Altar is an outstanding example of sacrificial architecture in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is a building complex in the Ming Dynasty with a basically complete architectural layout. It is a physical witness of the laws and regulations of Chinese feudal society and has high historical and artistic value. According to records, Xiannong altar, also known as "Shanchuan altar", was built in 1420 and has a history of more than 580 years. Beijing Xiannong Temple was founded in 1420 and was built in the southwest of Zhengyangmen, which corresponds to the building complex of the Temple of Heaven (formerly known as the Temple of Heaven and Earth, which was originally called the Temple of Heaven in the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty). When Beijing Xiannong Tan was built, it followed the ceremonial regulations of Nanjing, the old capital of the early Ming Dynasty. In the tenth year of Jiajing (1513), the Tianshen altar and the earthly altar were added to the south of the inner altar wall, forming the current layout of the Xiannong altar. The Xiannong altar covers an area of about 2,000 mu and is surrounded by two inner and outer walls. The outer altar wall is about 1,424 meters long from north to south and about 700 meters wide from east to west. The inner altar wall is about 446 meters long from north to south and 306 meters wide from east to west. There are five groups of buildings in the Xiannong Altar: 1. Qingcheng Palace; 2. Taisui Hall (including the worship hall and the silk-burning furnace in front of it); 3. Shenchu (including the slaughtering pavilion); 4. Shencang; 5. Jubilee Service hall. There are also four altars: Guangengtai, Xiannong altar, Tianshen altar, and Diji altar. These group buildings and altars are basically located in the inner altar wall, only Qingcheng Palace, Tianshen altar, and Diji altar are located outside the inner altar wall and inside the outer altar wall. In addition, there is an acre and a third of the cultivated land in front of the Inner Temple View Farming Platform, which is the land for the emperor to cultivate the land himself.