Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
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…
Must-see attractions in Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
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…
Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
The crowning glory of the Temple of Heaven is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, its triple-eaved roof canopy of glazed blue tiles reflecting its…
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
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…
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
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…
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
This wistful stretch of brick and stone is all that remains (besides a couple of other denuded nubs) of Beijing's once formidable city walls, girding the…
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
This palace complex close to the West Heavenly Gate was used by the emperor for three days prior to conducting the winter solstice ceremony at the Round…
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
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 …
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
This grand walkway leads north from the Imperial Vault of Heaven to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.
Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
Presenting a top-down perspective on the world's most micromanaged megacity, dry exhibits detail the government's grand schemes for Beijing, with scant…
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
Music, song and dance were integral components of the arcane rituals performed by the Emperor at the Temple of Heaven, and here is where the ranks of…
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
Fans of Communist ephemera or esoteric booze brands might get a kick out this place set up by Red Star, a popular brand of Beijing báijiǔ, China's famous…
China Railway Museum – Zhengyang Gate
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
In the old Qianmen Railway Station, which served Beijing from 1906 to 1959 (although only the clock tower is original), this museum offers a fairly…
Beijing Natural History Museum
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
New York and London needn't fret: Beijing's Natural History Museum isn't going to rival their august institutions any time soon. Not with exhibits that…
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
With its double-tiered roof of green glazed tiles, the Animal Killing Pavilion was where the slaughter of oxen, sheep, deer and other animals took place,…
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
A covered promenade connecting the Animal Killing Pavilion with the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Long Corridor these days is a veritable mini…
Gate of Prayer for Good Harvests
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
A gateway on the Red Stairway Bridge that opens on to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
You'll pass through this ornamental portal if you are accessing the Temple of Heaven Park from the main east entrance.
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
An ornamental gate at the northern edge of the park, some distance inside the main Temple of Heaven North Gate.
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
This ornamental gateway will take you towards the main sights if you enter the park at the main west gate.
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
One of the most pleasant spots in the Temple of Heaven Park, especially when the roses are in bloom.
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
Running due south from Beijing's 'front gate', the mighty Qianmen, this street was once the main commercial thoroughfare through what was known as the …
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
The former front gate of Beijing's Outer City Wall, the original Yongding Gate was demolished in the 1950s. Rebuilt in 2005, it stands, rather forlornly,…
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
With nine considered an auspicious number, this gate was one of the nine altar gates within the Temple of Heaven Park complex. Note that you cannot enter…
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
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…
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
One of the four main access points to Temple of Heaven Park.
