Blogs from Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China, Asia
March 19th 2012
Hi all... Out and about in Beijing. Visited the Temple of Heaven, and had our first real run in with the hawkers of junky trinkets, rickshaws and over priced taxis. Inside the temple grounds was very pretty, and the parks was full of locals doing what they seem to enjoy in parks here... playing board games, playing musical instruments, dancing, singing, playing this odd little game where you kick this shuttle cock shaped thing back around a circle... So, in other words... you name it, they seem to do it in the Gardens and parks here. The temple was our first real look at one of these garden and building.. and showed us how good these guys were at building along compass lines. Lachlan has started to get the idea of wearing a hoodie... to try ... read more
December 17th 2011
One of the wonderful things about Beijing is the serene areas within the bustling city. It reminded me of Japan where you can find a park or temple sanctuary hidden in the busiest parts of the city. Unlike Tokyo, Beijing is a massive, sprawling city with big open parks, monuments, and stadiums. The Temple of Heaven is one of those places. We took the subway from Dongdan down to Tian Tan Dong Men (Temple of Heaven) stop. Across the street is an enclosed market with a lot of knock offs. The entrance of the temple is south of the subway stop which will bring you to the East Heavenly Gate entrance. The ticket cost is ¥30 per person. Even in the winter you can appreciate how tranquil and serene this place is. Wide pavements and manicured ... read more
Emily: 'Claire, I think I just bought you something!'
Published: August 12th 2011Asia » China » Beijing » Temple of Heaven
August 11th 2011
We were up and out by 7.30 this morning along with CJ and Emily to explore Beijing some more. We headed straight to Jingshan Park where we got to experience rush hour on the subway which was completely manic and by the time we arrived at Jingshan we were covered in sweat from the trains, unfortunately it was other peoples sweat as we were packed in next to some very smelly guys on the train. Jingshan Park at that time of the morning was wonderful, it is set up high on a hill overlooking the Forbidden City and the views were fabulous. It was already starting to get hot and it was still very early in the morning so we knew it would be a warm day. We stayed in the Park for about an hour ... read more
July 30th 2011
We went to the magnificent and colorful Temple of Heaven (TianTan) which is where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties would make offerings to heaven and pray for good harvests. The Temple of Heaven was constructed during the reign of Ming Emperor YongLe (reign: 1403-1424). We stayed nearly all day and the sun was hot hot but the history was rich. ... read more
Day 5 - Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Hutong, Hou Hai
Published: July 1st 2011Asia » China » Beijing » Temple of Heaven
July 1st 2011
Today was packed with adventures. First, we went to the Summer Palace where I saw a a lot of similarities to the Forbidden City in terms of architecture and paintings. It was a very serene area, I can definitely see why emperors would take their vacations there. We took a boat ride at the Summer Palace across the lake. The Temple of Heaven also had similar features. My favorite part of the Temple of Heaven was the area leading up to the Temple that is the center of Beijing. Many people stopped to take pictures. I liked both sites very much. One thing that struck me was the size of these two places. When learning about them, you realize that they are large, but do not think about exactly how big they are. Another interesting thing ... read more
March 27th 2011
I have left out day 3 of my visit to china because of the ridiculous hangover I had from the night out before, it was brilliant on the streets of Beijing in and around the karaoke bars enjoying the talented and less talented acts on offer, I mean seriously one girl singing should be on the X factor she was absolutely brilliant and gave one of the best covers of Beyonce I have ever heard! The day consisted of buying tickets for our journey onwards to Shanghai on Wednesday, we decided to buy the soft class sleeper train, there are six of us so 4 can have their own cabin which will probably be the three girls and Dave, leaving me and Tinman together in a cabin with two seats, the automated ticket machine seemed to ... read more
March 7th 2011
After sleeping in and multiple attempts at asking the front desk attendant if there is wi-fi available, we got dressed and ready to hit the city for another action-packed day. There was no wi-fi but there was an ethernet cable hanging out of the wall that we managed to overlook. It’s nice to feel connected to the outside world. Even if I am on vacation. One of Alicia’s co-workers went to college in Beijing so she knows the area very well. She was kind enough to make us up an itinerary for our trip. It even includes the best ways of getting from place to place (i.e. subway, taxi, city bus, or walking). Today’s adventures includes the Temple of Heaven as our first stop. It is not very far from the hotel but once we set ... read more
November 12th 2010
Our visit to the Temple of Heaven was great, but quite crowded. I can't imagine what it is like in the summer. We entered through the East gate, which wasn't busy. The traditional enterance and grandest is the south enterance. One of the duties of the Ming dynasty Emperors, the Sons of Heaven, was to pray to his ancestors for good havests at this temple. I guess they also did animal sacrifices. The Echo Wall is a marvel of acoustics, supposedly even a whisper will echo along the wall. As it was, the echo just added to the din created by other visitors.... read more
Temple of Heaven and West Part 1
Published: October 23rd 2010Asia » China » Beijing » Temple of Heaven
October 23rd 2010
Last weekend I checked out the Temple of Heaven, southeast of the Forbidden City. It's where the emperor used to make sacrifices to bring good harvests. Today the area is a nice park around the central temple and other various sacrificial sites. My roommate took a trip to the countryside and asked to borrow my camera so I included the best picture he took. The location is around an hour outside of Beijing. This Friday we had our mid-terms which went very well in my case. Next week there is no class so tomorrow I'm starting out to Xining, in Qinghai province. It's about as far out of civilization I can get with only a week to travel. From what I hear the small city has a good mix of historical religious sites in the forms ... read more
