The Dongyue Temple in Beijing was first built in the sixth year of the Yanyou reign of the Yuan Dynasty (1319). It was funded by Zhang Liusun and Wu Quanjie, two great masters of Xuanjiao in the Yuan Dynasty. The main deity of Mount Tai, Dongyue Emperor, was enshrined. After continuous expansion during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the temple gradually formed an architectural pattern of the central courtyard and the east-west cross courtyards. The entire temple covers an area of ​​about 47,400 square meters, with more than 300 ancient buildings, which embody the architectural styles of the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties and can be called a treasure of ancient buildings. In history, the Dongyue Temple was a place for national sacrifices, and the folk sacrificial activities were even more grand, becoming a center of folk cultural activities with rich heritage. In 1996, the Dongyue Temple in Beijing was designated as a national key cultural relic protection unit. In 1997, the Beijing Dongyue Temple Management Office and the Beijing Folk Museum were established. In 1999, the Beijing Folk Museum was officially opened to the public.

The purpose of the Beijing Folk Museum is to build a research center, exhibition center and activity center for Beijing folk customs. It has held dozens of academic seminars such as "The Calendar of the Nation: Traditional Festivals and Public Holidays" and published books such as "Beijing Folk Customs Collection" and "Old Beijing Traditional Festival Culture". The museum holds folk exhibitions all year round and has launched more than ten large-scale exhibitions such as "Life Customs and Cultural Relics Exhibition" and "Old Beijing Commercial Folk Customs and Cultural Relics Exhibition". The Dongyue Temple Fair held during the Spring Festival has been included in the national intangible cultural heritage list. In addition, during traditional festivals such as the Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Double Ninth Festival, colorful folk garden activities are held. Dongyue Academy, which is built on the East Corridor Courtyard in the museum, provides traditional cultural lectures for the public. The museum has gradually become an important window for Beijing Residents and tourists from all over the world to understand Beijing's traditional folk culture.