Some buildings on the west side of the 720-year-old Huguo Temple
in Beijing were damaged or destroyed in a fire that broke out early
Sunday morning. No injuries were reported.
The fire began at around 2 AM at a western side hall in the
compound, which is located in the capital city’s historic Xicheng
District.
The remains of the roof beams of the 187-square-meter hall are
blackened. A portion of the eastern roof ridge is still covered
with gray tiles, but the remainder has collapsed and only a charred
frame remains of the building.
A clothing factory occupied the hall about eight years ago. The
fire was caused by electrical sparks from a transformer in the
factory, according to an official with the city’s Bureau for the
Preservation of Cultural and Historical Relics, although the
investigation is still ongoing. Firefighters declared the blaze out
at about 4:00 AM.
The Huguo (“Protecting the Nation”) Temple was originally built
in 1284, during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1386), as a residence of a
prime minister. After undergoing renovations and various name
changes over the centuries, in 1722 a Mongolian official renovated
the temple and renamed it Huguo. It is also widely known as West
Temple, a mirror of the East Temple, whose official name is Longfu
Temple.
In addition to the main Jingang Hall, 10 buildings remain on the
site.
Jingang Hall was placed on the city-level cultural relics
protection list in 1984. The remaining buildings receive
district-level protection. The western side hall was nevertheless
more than 700 years old.
“The fire sets off alarms in the field of cultural relics
protection,” said Ji Xiaoping, director of the Xicheng District
culture commission. “Huguo Temple was very famous in history. If we
had restored its original appearance, the ancient buildings would
have become a fine historic site and would not have been
destroyed.” However, most of the old temple halls were subsumed
into the residential area that sprung up around them. Ji suggested
that restoring the ancient structures would avoid their destruction
and deterioration.
Mei Ninghua, director of Beijing Cultural Relics Bureau,
inspected Jingang Hall Sunday, saying that great care should be
taken to prevent fire. He asked the appropriate departments to
renovate the hall as soon as possible.
(Xinhua News Agency, China.org.cn?June 21, 2004)