The Xiancantan known in English as Altar to the Goddess of Silkworms, is an imperial altar in Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

, China, similar to the Imperial Ancestral Hall, Xiannongtan

Temple of Agriculture

Temple of Agriculture or Altar of Agriculture is a historic site in Xuanwu District of Beijing, China, and located near the Temple of Heaven.- History :The Temple of Agriculture was built in the 15th century...

 (Temple of Agriculture) and the Altar of Earth and Harvests

Zhongshan Park (Beijing)

The Zhongshan Park , is a former imperial garden and now a public park that lies just southwest of the Forbidden City in the Dongcheng District of central Beijing....

. It is located at the eastern ground of the Beihai Park

Beihai Park

Beihai Park is an imperial garden to the northwest of the Forbidden City in Beijing. First built in the 10th century, it is amongst the largest of Chinese gardens, and contains numerous historically important structures, palaces and temples. Since 1925, the place has been open to the public as a...

, a large imperial garden in the city's historical centre. It can be reached by a bridge from the Temple of the Dragon King (Longwangmiao).

The Xiancantan (Altar to the Goddess of Silkworms) was built in 1742 during the Qianlong period

Qianlong Emperor

The Qianlong Emperor was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. The fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, he reigned officially from 11 October 1735 to 8 February 1796...

 (1736-1796) of Qing Dynasty

Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

. The Xiancantan was built for Leizu

Leizu

Leizu was a legendary Chinese empress and wife of the Yellow Emperor. According to tradition, she discovered silk and invented the silk loom in the 27th century BC.Leizu discovered silkworms while having a midday tea, and a cocoon fell in her tea....

, the wife of the Yellow Emperor

Yellow Emperor

The Yellow Emperor or Huangdi1 is a legendary Chinese sovereign and culture hero, included among the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Tradition holds that he reigned from 2697–2597 or 2696–2598 BC...

, who is credited with the invention of silkworm. Entering through the Gate of Admiration for Silkworms, one could see a 1.3-metre-high altar and a staircase on each side leads to the site where sacrificial rituals were performed.

The site is also known for its Mulberry trees, which provides regular diet for silkworms. Behind the temple there are several halls dedicated to the Silkworms.

See also

• Beihai Park
  Beihai Park
  Beihai Park is an imperial garden to the northwest of the Forbidden City in Beijing. First built in the 10th century, it is amongst the largest of Chinese gardens, and contains numerous historically important structures, palaces and temples. Since 1925, the place has been open to the public as a...
  
  
• Tourist attractions of Beijing
  Tourist attractions of Beijing
  There are many landmarks in Beijing. The best-known ones include the Badaling stretch of the Great Wall of China, the Temple of Heaven, the Tian'anmen and the Forbidden City, a number of temples, hutongs and parks, relics of ages gone by....