Beijing has a number of very beautiful temples that have been restored for public viewing, after being largely ignored throughout the 20th century. A good example of a restored temple is the Temple of Successive Emperors, which was neglected for over fifty years, before being re-opened a few years ago. If you were too look at all the temples that are in Beijing in tourist guide, you would probably find about twenty, but in reality there are many more. The temples you don't read about are the ones that have been transformed into housing or other buildings, and that have escaped the destruction that runs rampant in old Beijing. Although many of these temples have already been torn down, there are still some remaining.
I had an encounter with one of these temples yesterday when I attempted to visit a restored temple called the Temple of Longevity. It turned out to be closed on Mondays (but curiously was open for tour groups), but next to the temple was a neighborhood of hutongs. Many of the ones right next to the temple wall had recently been torn down, but one complex of housing still stood. Facing the street was a closed, temple-style door, and a small, very old plaque, saying that this was the Yanqing Temple, which was under protection from the local government. I went inside and saw that it was filled with small buildings. Instead of there being a wide open courtyard, surounded by buildings, the courtyard no longer existed, and ugly brick buildings stood in its place. I confirmed with a lady that this was indeed a temple at one time, although who knows how long ago. The temple halls still remained, converted to housing. I hope the temple is restored at some point. I am a bit concerned though, because those knocked down hutongs right next to the Yanqing temple could be what happens to it in a few years.
