Blogs from Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China, Asia - page 2

Next stop Huangshan (a stunning world-heritage granite mountain range inspiring much Chinese art) in neighbouring Anhui province, trundling into town on a local bus to be greeted by Mr Hu, our friendly and cheerful hotel owner. Explored the local town with its streets lined with small identikit supermarkets before the steep climb up to the peaks. Hiked through gorgeous views of steep gorges, bizarre rocky outcrops and twisted pine trees and passing heavily laden porters balancing huge bags of provisions while chatting with a friendly Israeli couple. Near the top squeezed through small tunnels and up precipitous steps to the exposed Lotus Flower summit offering fabulous mountain views. After enjoying some more of Mr Hu's chinese cooking caught a bus to polluted Nanjing, the route passing huge road and appartment construction cutting a swathe through the ... read more

Today I met Peter my Beijing guide. I found Peter on trip adviser as I searched for local guides. He advertised as an independent guide and was thoroughly recommended by many other travellers. I initially emailed him in June and have remained in contact with himever since. We met at my hotel this morning. The opening exchange went a bit like this; Peter " hello Spencer, you from Autrailia?" Me " no I am from the uk" ( in a Chinese accent of course) Peter " no no you sound Austrailian, where in Austrailia you from?" Me " do you know Sydney? Near the opera house?" We headed off for a coffee and to plan the day. Peter told me that all the main sights in the city would be extremely busy because this week is ... read more

CHINA: Beijing...Tiantan...The Temple of Heaven. 700,000 workers & soldiers cleared up snow on 23 December 2002...300 pedestrians were treated in hospital for falling on ice...the highest snowfalls in Beijing in 138 years...and I walked around the Forbidden City that day...in a blizzard!!! The following day I visited Tiantan...The Temple of Heaven...and three visits over the years I will share in this blog...each quite different. Considering the magic white setting for my first visit...it is easy to see why it is one of my favourite places...and the symbol of Beijing. The glossy Beijing book I bought in Tiananmen Square while looking for a fur hat describes it as follows: "Located in southern Beijing, the Temple of Heaven was built in 1420, during the reign of Emperor Yongle. Covering an area of 2,730,000 m2, it was the sight ... read more

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

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