Daoist Temple

Imperial Gardens, Forbidden City, Beijing (map)

This Qing dynasty temple was located in the Imperial Gardens, in the northernmost reach of the forbidden city, in order to protect the palace compound. In Chinese cosmology, north is the ritually most dangerous direction¹, and hence requires the greatest protective efforts. The temple seems to have been at best partially effective; it was never burned itself, although it failed to protect the Forbidden City from being overrun by European forces in 1900.

¹Note: north was also a dangerous direction in practice, both as the location of the critical northern frontier, and as the direction from which the cold north wind blew into many a house and courtyard.