Temple of Heaven (Tian Tan)

Temple of Heaven is one of the most beautiful place i've visited in Beijing. I went there in 23rd September 2009, when it was still sunny and warm in Beijing. Temple of Heaven located in Chongwen District, and you need to take subway line 5 to Tiantandongmen station.

You need to pay 35Y to get it, and too bad they don't have discount for foreign students. But it was worth it. Temple of Heaven is a really beautiful place, built in a really huge area, and well preserved. Also, it's one of the most important temple in Beijing, and was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.


I'll give you more scientific way to explain Temple of Heaven, taken from Wikipedia:

The temple complex was constructed from 1406 to 1420 during the reign of the Yongle Emperor, who was also responsible for the construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing. The complex was extended and renamed Temple of Heaven during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor in the 16th century. The Jiajing Emperor also built three other prominent temples in Beijing, the Temple of Sun in the east (日坛), the Temple of Earth in the north (地坛), and the Temple of Moon in the west (月坛). The Temple of Heaven was renovated in the 18th century under the Qianlong Emperor.

In 1914, Yuan Shih-kai, then President of the Republic of China, performed a Ming prayer ceremony at the temple, as part of an effort to have himself declared Emperor of China.

The Temple grounds covers 2.73 km² of parkland, and comprises three main groups of constructions, all built according to strict philosophical requirements:

• The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (祈年殿) is a magnificent triple-gabled circular building, 32 metres in diameter and 38 metres tall, built on three levels of marble stone base, where the Emperor prayed for good harvests. The building is completely wooden, with no nails.

• The Imperial Vault of Heaven (皇穹宇) is a single-gabled circular building, built on a single level of marble stone base. It is located south of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and resembles it, but is smaller. It is surrounded by a smooth circular wall, the Echo Wall, that can transmit sounds over large distances. The Imperial Vault is connected to the Hall of Prayer by the Vermilion Steps Bridge, a 360 meter long raised walkway that slowly ascends from the Vault to the Hall of Prayer.

• The Circular Mound Altar (圜丘坛) is the altar proper, located south of the Imperial Vault of Heaven. It is an empty circular platform on three levels of marble stones, where the Emperor prayed for favorable weather. It was built in 1530 by the Jiajing Emperor and rebuilt in 1740.

Ow yep, you're not allowed to get into the temples, because those considered sacred places. They put a barrier in front of the door of the temple and place some guards there. You can take picture from the opened door, and this is how it's inside the temple;


There are also some interesting things in the temple, such as;

• The 70 year old door. This door was built for Qian Long Emperor whose health was falling when he reached the age of 70 year old in 1779. The door was made to make him able to reach the ceremony hall easily. Qian Long ordered only his successor who has reached the age of 70 can use this door. But no Emperor after him reach the age.
  

• Firewood stove. They burned the firewood to worship the heaven during the ancient ceremony.

And many more! haha,, ;D

Seems like Temple of Heaven is a popular place for old people in Beijing. Because i saw a lot of them, did various activities here, like karaoke, play traditional music instrument, exercising, create calligraphy, etc.




You need the whole day to explore Temple of Heaven, and i suggest that you come in a really sunny day, since this temple will show it's most beauty that time. There was a huge area of park with old trees, and it's a really nice place to just sit and relax.


There were some souvenir shops inside the temple area, and i suggest not to buy the souvenirs there, because they're kinda overpriced. I will tell you in another post which places that you need to go to get good souvenirs.

So, i think, Temple of Heaven is a must-visited place. Make sure you go there if you visit Beijing! :D