隆福寺是建于明景泰年间的皇家香火院，位于北京内城政治和商业功能区的交界地带。代宗为打压英宗和王振的残余势力，在民间扩大自己的影响力，而命宦官修建了隆福寺。作为皇权之争产物的隆福寺，在英宗复辟后失去皇家垂顾，明中后期又成为宦官、僧人与朝臣文士的社交空间。同时，市俗气息也在逐渐渗入，冲淡了这一皇家寺院的庄严神圣。明清易代，随着政治体系和城市格局翻天覆地的变化，隆福寺在一段时间的衰落后又迎来全新的发展机遇。雍乾之际，以商业性质为主的隆福寺庙市兴起，并依靠着王公贵族的消费快速发展，成为京城“诸市之冠”，其商业基因传承至今并无中断。隆福寺的命运与北京城紧紧关联，是较有价值的城市寺庙研究个案。

Longfu Temple is a royal temple built during the era of Emperor Jingtai in Ming Dynasty, which was located at the junction of political and commercial functions in Beijing inner city. Emperor Jingtai ordered eunuchs to build Longfu Temple in order to suppress the remnants of Emperor Zhengtong and Wang Zhen and expand his influence among the people. Longfu Temple, as a product of the struggle for imperial power, lost royal patronage after the restoration of Emperor Tianshun, and became a social space for eunuchs, monks, officials and scholars in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. At the same time, common city customs were creeping in, diluting the sanctity of the royal temple. With the change of dynasties, the political system and urban pattern of Beijing changed drastically, and after a period of decline, Longfu Temple ushered in a new opportunity for development. During the era of Emperor Yongzheng and Qianlong, commercial Longfu Temple fair rose. Relying on the consumption of nobles, it developed rapidly and became "the champion of all fairs" in Beijing. Its commercial gene inheritance has not been interrupted up to now. The fate of Longfu Temple was closely related to Beijing
city. It is a valuable case of the study of urban temples.