Inside the Echo Wall, this ornate building was merely a storeroom, used to keep the spirit tablets of the gods and other materials used for the ceremonies that took place on the Round Altar just to the south.
©zhaoliang70/Shutterstock
Imperial Vault of Heaven
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Forbidden City
2.97 MILES
Enclosed by 3.5km of citadel walls at the very heart of Beijing, the Unesco-listed Forbidden City is China’s largest and best-preserved collection of…
Temple of Heaven Park
0.13 MILES
An oasis of methodical Confucian design, the 267-hectare Temple of Heaven Park is unique. It originally served as a vast stage for solemn rites performed…
Summer Palace
11.09 MILES
A marvel of Chinese garden design and one of Beijing's must-see attractions, the Summer Palace was the royal retreat for emperors fleeing the suffocating…
Tian'anmen Square
1.93 MILES
Flanked by triumphalist Soviet-style buildings, Tian'anmen Sq is an immense void of paved stone (440,000 sq metres, to be precise) at the symbolic centre…
Beihai Park
3.67 MILES
Beihai Park, inside the old Imperial City, looks much as it would have done in the 18th century when it served as Emperor Qianlong's private gardens. The…
Southeast Corner Watchtower
1.97 MILES
This immense fortress, part of the Ming City Wall Ruins Park, guarded the southeast corner of Beijing's city walls. Originally built in 1439 but repaired…
Gate of Heavenly Peace
2.24 MILES
Instantly recognisable by its giant framed portrait of Mao, and guarded by two pairs of Ming dynasty stone lions, the double-eaved Gate of Heavenly Peace …
798 Art District
8.36 MILES
Contemporary art meets communist history at this thrilling enclave of international galleries installed within China's model factory complex of the 1950s…
Nearby Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South attractions
1. Echo Wall
0.03 MILES
Thanks to its unique acoustic properties, a quiet spoken word or two against this circular wall can be heard at the opposite point, some 65m away …
2. Round Altar
0.1 MILES
The present build dating to around 1540, this is the business end of the Temple of Heaven. Here on this open-air, raised platform (a circle within a…
3. Temple of Heaven Park
0.13 MILES
An oasis of methodical Confucian design, the 267-hectare Temple of Heaven Park is unique. It originally served as a vast stage for solemn rites performed…
4. Red Stairway Bridge
0.2 MILES
This grand walkway leads north from the Imperial Vault of Heaven to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.
5. Temple of Heaven South Gate
0.27 MILES
Also known as the Zhaoheng Gate (昭亨门; Zhāohēng Mén) the emperor and entourage would enter the temple complex through here. It's now one of the four main…
6. Gate of Prayer for Good Harvests
0.27 MILES
A gateway on the Red Stairway Bridge that opens on to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.
7. Rose Garden
0.31 MILES
One of the most pleasant spots in the Temple of Heaven Park, especially when the roses are in bloom.
8. East Heavenly Gate
0.32 MILES
You'll pass through this ornamental portal if you are accessing the Temple of Heaven Park from the main east entrance.