To ascertain whether the thermal infrared image of HJ-1B which has the similar sensor parameter and setting to Landsat 5 TM6 image is applicable for retrieving the land surface temperature (LST), a comparison of retrieved LST between two types of sensors was conducted. Two scenes of thermal infrared images that came from different sensors were acquired in 5th, Apr 2009, which covered the same region in Beijing. To retrieve LST, a generalized single-channel algorithm developed by Jiménez-Muoz and Sobrino was applied. The LST of study area for both images was thus generated. Based on the LST mapping results and corresponding statistics, an apparent trend could be observed which indicated the consistency in both LST value and its spatial distribution. Consequently, the performance of HJ-1B IRS serving as the data source for LST retrieval was assessed and illustrated in this study. Besides, a high temporal resolution as well as wide swath of the HJ-IRS data suggested its potential in application.