Temple of Heaven - Beijing

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests

The Temple of Heaven , 天壇 (Tian Tan) in Chinese, has long been one of the major attractions for people of all ages when they come to Beijing.  The Temple of Heaven has long been one of my favorite places to visit in Beijing due to the plethora of cultural experiences that can be had there.

The Temple of Heaven was once the religious complex where the emperors of the Qing and Ming dynasties visited for annual prayers and ceremonies for good harvests.  Some of the main attractions within the park include the iconic Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, and the Circular Mound Altar.

When most people think of the Temple of Heaven they picture the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.  This is the main attraction to the park and it is easy to see why.  The massive Hall sits on a tier of circular marble slabs.  Traditional Chinese music (most of which feature the ancient gu qin) can be heard from the speakers that resemble old lamps that surround the outskirts.  My favorite time to visit is during the week towards the late afternoon (just before the attractions inside the Temple of Heaven park start to close).  Usually most of the visitors have already left so it offers a chance to have a more personal experience, almost what it might have been like for the emperors visiting hundreds of years ago.

Imperial Vault of Heaven

The Imperial Vault of Heaven is worth a visit as well mainly because the circular wall surrounding the buildings contained within is known as the echoing wall.  It is not uncommon to see tourists standing along the guard rail shouting at the wall trying to hear their own echo.  Usually there is an extremely long line of people (especially during the peak travel times) waiting to climb up the stairs to get a peak into the main building.  There's not much to see in there (just a throne and some old furniture) so unless you absolutely have to see everything you will probably be fine skipping it unless you happen to visit when there's relatively few tourists there.

Tourists Shouting into the Famous
Wall of Echos

Just across from the Imperial Vault of Heaven is the Circular Mound Altar.  The round slabs of marble in the middle are elaborately decorated with dragons carved along the guard rail.  On the top tier in the middle of the platform is a small elevated circle.  This was once believed to be the center of the earth (which coincides with the ancient Chinese belief of China as being the center of the world). Throngs of tourists eagerly await for their chance to stand on the center of the Altar and have their picture taken so don't be afraid to just jump in there and have your own picture taken.

The Fabled "Center" of the World

Towards the West of the complex is the lesser-known Hall of Abstinence.  Most people seem to skip this attraction as it isn't within a close proximity to the other main attractions and it isn't featured on the combination ticket  This hidden gem, so to speak, has some interesting things to see in it.  There is a hall way that contains the portraits of past emperors and some cool historic artifacts.  You can also see several "wild" cats that have made the moat surrounding the Hall of Abstinence their home.

Circular Mound Altar

Of all of the main historic attractions in Beijing, it has been my impression that the Temple of Heaven brings the most local visitors, and thus more of the local culture can be experienced here.  Due to it's convenient location, cheap entrance fee for the elderly, and relatively late closing time (for the larger park area) hundreds of locals gather daily to play card games, sing traditional patriotic songs, dance, and play traditional Chinese instruments.  It is a blast to join in on one of the local favorite games (jianzi) that closely resembles hacky sac.

Locals Singing Patriotic Songs

There's not quite as much to see as the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City so if you can spare 3 or 4 hours you should be able to cover most of it.  No trip to Beijing is complete without a visit to the Temple of Heaven.  You can access it via subway (line 5) or by cab.  The cost for the tickets are: 10-15 RMB (depending on the season) for the basic entrance ticket or 30-35 RMB for the combination ticket.

Have you been to the Temple of Heaven before? If so sound off in the comments below and let us know what you thought of it!