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Published: July 20th 2008
Following the tour of tiananmen square, the forbidden city, and jingshan park, we headed south to the Temple of Heaven Park, or 天坛公园. We tried to take bus 814 directly there, but it never showed up so we just took a taxi. A little background: Temple of heaven park is a paragon of Ming design, the main hall has come to symbolize Beijing. The temple originally served as a vast stage for solemn rites performed by the Son of Heaven, who prayed here for good harvests, and sought divine clearance and atonement for the sins of the people.
We entered the park from the north entrance. Before coming here i always thought that visiting the temple of heaven just meant seeing this temple in the middle of town. i was wrong. It is in the middle of a walled in 267-hectare square park. In other words, it is huge, gorgeous, and calm. Throughout the park there are people playing instruments, singing, and old retired people perfecting their hobbies. All very cool to witness. I must say that i think this is the least crowded and most serene park i have visited in Beijing thus far. I was not expecting the
sight of the temple to have much of an impact on me when i saw it - i just knew i had to go there because it is on the cover of every Beijing tourism pamphlet. When i actually came up to the temple it really did amaze me. i felt like i could spend a whole day just sitting next to it.
Another thing i did not realize was that there are actually three sites in total to see in the park. The other two are the Round Altar, which symbolizes heaven, and the Imperial Vault, which is known for its echo wall. I couldn't really hear an echo, but im sure it works when you have better hearing. All three of these structures were built sometime during the 15th or 16th centuries.
The surrounding park in and of itself is something i recommend seeing. Besides the kite flying retired folk, tennis playing middle aged folk, or the musically gifted others, the park itself is quite beautiful. A great place to unwind after dealing with the hustle and bustle of Beijing city life.
p.s. song of the week was probably 'oh yoko' by john lennon
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