A Flashback of Dadu

This temple just down the street from the Fuchengmen subway station was built when the Mongols ruled Dadu (Beijing) and the white pagoda here was the highest structure in the city. The temple has a storied history and was the site of many temple fairs even in the dawn of the 20th century. Performers would come and treats and toys would be sold. The museum there chronicles this as well as it's rare part in history. It is one of few parts of the Yuan Dynasty that is still in tact around modern Beijing. The Mongol rulers were more into expansion by horse than architecture. Even when Kublai ruled here his "forbidden city" resembled more of a giant campground,then the labyrinthine, stratified structure that the Mings built after they came in. This is a great opportunity to get a window on some rare but highly influential characters and times in the history of this city.