The Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven was heart of imperial ceremony and symbolism for five centuries. It was completed in 1420 during the reign of Emperor Yongle. The temple was conceived as the meeting point between Earth and Heaven.

Round temples and altars stand on square bases. The reason for this is because Heaven was considered round and Earth square, thus 'Temple of Heaven'. The whole park is a semi-circle sitting beside a square.


Following the main path will lead you to The Round Altar, which consists of three marble tiers that represent Man, Earth and (at the summit) Heaven. The Throne of Heaven used to sit at the center of the top terrace, which was considered to be the middle of the Middle Kingdom.

Standing on the top terrace of the Round Altar

I entered the park at the North Gate and made my way through this large park. There were people dancing, running, walking, practicing kung fu and t'ai chi all over. The park is beautiful and tranquil with endless rows of trees and paths to wander on. I am told that the best time to visit the Temple of Heaven is early in the morning where you can witness people
engaging in tradition ceremonies.

Do you think they'll let me in if I knock loud enough?

It was a beautiful day to explore this amazing place. It is worth a visit. Be aware that you will be charged an initial entrance fee to enter the park, and an addition fee to see all the buildings. If you do the math, that works out to be 2 tickets to see the entire park. It works out to be around 35 Yuan. Don't make the mistake I did; I bought 3 sets of tickets (originally). The lady at the third ticket window was trying to tell me that I didn't need to purchase another ticket but my Chinese isn't that great, so I ended up buying an extra entrance ticket. At the admissions gate, they took my first ticket, looked at me funny and pointed to ticket booth. This was when I realized what she was trying to tell me - you are an oblivious tourist! She was kind enough to give me a refund without any explanation needed. Should this have happened during peak season, I don't think I would have been refunded.

A little Mao swag

After leaving any major tourist attraction, there is no shortage of street vendors. They will try to sell you anything from watches and post cards to chopsticks and hats. My travel companion, Barry, bartered with the vendors for this hat, paying something like 30 yuan. It is what you make it and you can have a lot of fun haggling for a good price.