"Beijing Temple of Heaven, located in Dongcheng District, Beijing, was a place where emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties worshiped heaven, prayed for grain, and prayed for rain. It is the largest and highest-level sacrificial building complex in ancient China. In 1961, the Temple of Heaven was announced by the State Council as a One of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units. In 1998, the "Beijing Imperial Altar-Temple of Heaven" was listed as a world cultural heritage. Currently, the Temple of Heaven Park also includes the Temple of Prayer for Grain - Wikipedia.
Taking advantage of the good weather, we decided to go for a walk in the Temple of Heaven Park. This is the second time to go to Temple of Heaven Park. The first time I went there was in April last year, when spring had just begun and many deciduous trees were just growing leaves. Before going out, I saw that the weather forecast said it would be cloudy, so I only brought a hat and no sun protection clothing. As a result, the sun was shining brightly and I was extremely sunburned. Fortunately, there are many trees in the Temple of Heaven Park, so the skin will not peel off in the sun.
Last time I arrived at around 5pm, the attraction was closed and I couldn't go in. This time I went in the morning, so I could enter the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Echo Wall. I bought tickets for the attractions to visit.
If it is your first time to visit the Temple of Heaven Park, it is highly recommended to visit attractions such as the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Echo Wall.
As usual, start with the park guide and walking route map.
The east gate of Temple of Heaven Park is close to the subway station, and the transportation is very convenient. However, there is a small sign hanging on the east gate. If you don’t look carefully, you might think you are on the wrong track. The east gate is very close to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. After entering, you can see the road leading to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the top of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. There are many cypress trees on both sides of the road, and I saw little squirrels the last time I came here.
"The long corridor is in the east of the Praying for Grain Altar and is in the shape of a ruler. It connects the east brick door of the Praying for Grain Altar, the Divine Kitchen Courtyard and the Sacrifice Pavilion. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the corridor was a passage for transporting sacrificial offerings. Ancient rituals stipulated that the slaughtering room It should be 200 steps away from the altar. In order to prevent the offerings from being stained by rain, snow, wind and sand, a winding corridor is built, which is 5 meters wide and 350 meters long, with a total of 72 rooms, also known as "Seventy-two Connected Rooms". The front window and the back wall are connected to the eaves and ridge - official website of Temple of Heaven Park."
Along the promenade you can reach the entrance of the Temple of Heaven attraction. If you don't have a pass, you can scan the code at the ticket booth next to the entrance to buy a ticket. During the epidemic, all park attractions now no longer accept cash directly. You can only scan to buy tickets or scan to pay.
Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests
"It was built in the 18th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1420). It was originally named "Dasi Hall". It was a rectangular hall used to worship heaven and earth. In the 24th year of Jiajing (1545), it was changed to a three-eaved round hall. The roof was covered with three-color glazed tiles of upper blue, middle yellow and lower green, which symbolized heaven, earth and all things. It was renamed "Daxiang Hall". In the 16th year of Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1751), the three-color tiles were changed to a unified blue tile and gold roof. It was named "Qinian Hall". It is a special building for praying for a good harvest in the first month of spring. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is 38.2 meters high and 24.2 meters in diameter. The internal bays also symbolize the four seasons, twelve months, twelve hours and the constellations in the sky. It is the only surviving example of an ancient Mingtang-style building. . ——Temple of Heaven Park official website”
"Huangqian Hall is the main hall where the altar and the matching tablets are usually enshrined. It was built in the 18th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1420). It is located on the north side of the inner wall of the altar of praying for grains. It is connected to the altar by three glazed doors. On the roof of the hall with blue glazed tiles, there is a Chongji stone railing. There is a platform in front of the platform and eight levels on the left and right sides of the platform. There are ancient rare doors on the west side of the courtyard. There is a plaque of "Huang Qian Hall" hanging under the eaves, which is for the Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty. Book.——Temple of Heaven Park Official Website”
"The Gate of Prayer for Good Harvests is the ceremonial gate of the Prayer for Grain Altar. It is located in the south of the Hall of Prayer for Harvest. It was built in the 18th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1420). It was first called the Dasi Gate and later changed to the Daxiang Gate. It was built in the 16th year of Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1751). , was designated as the Qinian Gate by Emperor Qianlong. The Qinian Gate is a building on the top of the veranda, with three gates in the middle and a Chongji stone railing. It is the highest-level gate in ancient China and is dedicated to the emperor. Go in and out of the left (east) gate, and the officials go in and out of the right (west) gate - Temple of Heaven Park official website."
"The Danbi Bridge is 360 meters long. It is an avenue 4 meters above the ground that connects the Circular Mound Altar and the Praying Valley Altar. There is an east-west tunnel passage under the middle of the avenue, hence the name of the bridge. It is the oldest overpass in the ancient capital of Beijing. Bridge It is 30 meters wide. The stone road in the middle is called the "Sacred Road" for the exclusive use of the Emperor of Heaven. The brick pavement on the east side is called the "Royal Road" for the exclusive use of the Emperor. The ministers accompanying the princes and ministers can only walk on the "King Road" on the west side, up and down. There are clear levels of advancement and retreat. The Danbi Bridge is high in the north and low in the south. Going north makes people feel as if they are reaching the heaven. - Official website of Temple of Heaven Park.
To the north is the Qinian Gate, and to the south is the Chengzhen Gate.
Echo Gallery and Imperial Vault
"Built in the ninth year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1530). It was originally a circular building with double eaves, named "Tai Temple", which is the main hall of the Circular Mound Altar and Tianku. It is used for daily worship of the gods in the ceremony of worshiping the sky. In the 17th year of Jiajing's reign (1538), it was renamed "Imperial Qiongyu". In the 17th year of Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1752), it was rebuilt into its current style. The Imperial Qiongyu Hall is 19.5 meters high and 15.6 meters in diameter. The blue tiles and gold roof are exquisite and solemn. The ceiling of the temple is a golden dragon caisson with a green tone and a large golden dragon pattern in the center. It is a masterpiece of ancient architecture - Temple of Heaven Park official website.
Lingxingmen, Circle Hill, Tianxin Stone
"Built in the ninth year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1530). The "Sacrifice to Heaven Ceremony" is held on the platform every winter solstice, commonly known as the Tiantai. It was originally a blue glazed round platform. It was expanded in the 14th year of Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1749) and turned into blue glazed. They are white marble railings and moxa-leaf bluestone countertops. The number of stone steps, countertop stones and stone railings on each level of the circle are all in multiples of "nine" and "nine" to correspond to the "nine heavens". The repeated use of "nine" to emphasize the supreme status of heaven. ——Temple of Heaven Park official website"
"The upper mesa of the circular mound is surrounded by nine rings of table stones, and the central circular stone slab is called the "Tianxin Stone". There are nine stone slabs in the outer ring, and eighteen stone slabs in the outer circle. From then on, nine more stone slabs are built in sequence, until " "Nine-nine" is eighty-one pieces, which means "nine heavens". When people stand on the Tianxin Stone and speak, their voices are particularly rich and loud. - Temple of Heaven Park official website"
Zhaohengmen is the south gate. You can enter or exit the park through this gate.
"Built in the 18th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1420), with an area of nearly 40,000 square meters, it is the emperor's special palace for fasting. There are beamless halls, sleeping halls, bronze figures and stone pavilions, bell towers, watch rooms and patrol corridors in the palace. There are special buildings for etiquette, residence, service and security. The layout of the Zhai Palace is rigorous and the environment is elegant. It is surrounded by two layers of palace walls and two imperial ditches. The emperor must fast at the Zhai Palace three days in advance and is required not to eat meat or drink alcohol. , do not listen to music, do not go to bed, do not pay attention to punishment names, do not ask for condolences, and be pure and clean to show respect and sincerity." - Temple of Heaven Park official website.
Since Zhai Palace was not open during the epidemic, I was not able to go in and visit, so I could only walk around this square building. Since the Zhai Palace was the place where the emperor fasted and lived during the sacrificial period, security was in place. There is a moat, a guard room and a patrol corridor. The moat is now dry and overgrown with weeds.
Shuanghuan Wanshou Pavilion
"The Double Ring Wanshou Pavilion is composed of a pair of round pavilions with double eaves. It has a unique and rigorous structure, a dignified and well-proportioned shape, and the roof is covered with peacock orchid glazed tiles in bright colors. It is the only example of an ancient building in China. It is said to have been dated to the sixth year of Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty (AD 1741), Emperor Qianlong built it to celebrate his mother's fiftieth birthday. The shape of the pavilion symbolizes a pair of longevity peaches, and the steps in front of the pavilion are shaped like two peach tips, which means "harmony, good fortune, and longevity." The pavilion was built in 1975. It was moved and built here in 2016 - official website of Temple of Heaven Park."
The Double Ring Pavilion consists of two pavilions nested together, which is very unique. Looking from a distance, I just feel that the colors are very bright and the shape is very strange in the sunshine. But when I walked in to take a look, I was deeply shocked. The ceiling paintings throughout the building, including the corridors, are very exquisite. There are paintings on every beam in the corridor, which are very vivid. There are two main pavilions, and there is a golden dragon painted in the middle of the ceiling of each pavilion. I was deeply attracted by the ceiling of the pavilion and stayed here for a long time. I have to lament that the royal gardens represent the highest state of Chinese classical architectural art.
Beitianmen is located to the north of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. After exiting Beitianmen and continuing to walk north, you will exit the north gate of the park.
In addition to the architecture of the Temple of Heaven Park, what I have to mention is the greening of the park. The green area of the Temple of Heaven Park is very large, accounting for 80% of the total area of the park, covering 2.01 million square meters. There are many trees and flowers, among which there are more than 3,500 ancient pines and cypresses. Among them is an ancient pine and cypress, which is 620 years old. According to the introduction given by the security uncle to tourists, this is the oldest tree in the park.
In addition to ancient cypress trees, there are also locust trees, ginkgo trees, walnut trees, poplar trees, etc. There are also rose gardens, peony gardens and many grasslands.
I really like the feeling of being in the Temple of Heaven Park. It's very quiet and I can't hear the hustle and bustle of the busy city outside at all. Walk under the shade of the trees, close your eyes, stretch out your arms, open your hands, stroll, feel the gentle breeze slipping through your fingers, and listen to the singing of various birds. That feeling is like integrating into this world.
After walking in the Temple of Heaven Park for nearly a day, I was a little tired, but it was very rewarding. I saw a lot of scenery and took a lot of photos. I will go there again when I have time.
As a reminder, be sure to prepare a power bank and enough water. I only brought a bottle of water and drank it quickly. There was no place to sell water in the park. Since the phone was always on for positioning and map recording, it consumed a lot of power and was almost out of battery by the afternoon. I had no choice but to give up my plan to go to Tiananmen to watch the flag lowering and went back home.
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