“龙尾之要”——北京宏恩观历史文化考辨

“The Crucial of Dragon’s Tail”:A Historical and Cultural Study of Beijing Hongen Guan

宏恩观为北京内城城北一处清代道观。地址在今钟楼以北的安定门街道豆腐池胡同和张旺胡同之间。因其位置正在钟楼以北,是北京明清中轴线北沿线第一座压线建筑,给南起永定门的北京中轴线画上了一个完美的句号,故素被称为“龙尾之要”。考据其历史沿革,其址元代为千佛寺,明代为吉祥寺,清代改为清净寺,直至清末光绪十三年至十九年(1887—1893年),始改扩建为宏恩观。扩建后的宏恩观,其独特的神像体系是清末道教龙门派借宫廷势力崛起的典型例证。作为中轴线北部的重要建筑,宏恩观现今中路主体建筑基本保存完整,具有重要的历史和文化价值,经过腾退和整修后,将作为公共文化设施向民众开放。

Hongen Guan is a Taoist temple in the Qing Dynasty in the north of the inner city of Beijing,which is located between Tofuchi Hutong and Zhangwang Hutong,Andingmen Street,north of the present belfry.Due to its location,it is the first building on the north extension of the Central Axis of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing.Since it gives a perfect ending to the Central Axis of Beijing from Yongdingmen in the south,so it is called“The Crucial of Dragon Tail.”According to its historical evolution,it used to be the Temple of Thousand Buddhas in the Yuan Dynasty,the Temple of Luckiness in the Ming Dynasty,and the Temple of Peace and Quietness in the Qing Dynasty.After its expansion,with its unique system of statue of gods,Hongen Guan becomes a typical example of the rise of the Taoist Dragon Sect through the power of the court in the late Qing Dynasty.As an important building in the north of the Central Axis,its main architecture is basically preserved,and it has important historical and cultural values.After being vacated and renovated,it will be open as a cultural facility to the public.