At the Temple of Heaven...

The Temple of Heaven in Beijing is one of the largest park complexes in the city. It was completed during the Ming Dynasty. The Emperor would come and pray for a good harvest and worship heaven here.

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest

Blue is the color of Heaven. Red is an Imperial color. This temple is 38 meters high and the wooden pillars support the ceiling without nails or cement. Truly amazing.

In the Emperor's time, people believed that the earth was square and the heaven and skies were circular. Based on this, the main building is designed in a circular concept to resemble their idea of heaven.

Circular Mound Altar

This Altar used to be the site for the Emperor's sacrifices.

The Three White Terraces which form the center of the Altar represented:

• Top Terrace: Heaven
• Middle Terrace: the Mortal World
• Bottom Terrace: Hell

This is a good place for kids to fly kites. Another good place for kite-flying is Tian'anmen Square which is nearby.

Echo Wall

Not so far from the Round Altar is the Echo Wall where whispers get carried from one end to the other.

This wall surrounds the Imperial Vault of Heaven. This "Whispering Wall" as it is also known, is 65 meters in diameter. For the "voices" to be carried, both people must be facing north and it also helps that the courtyard is not too noisy.

The entire Temple of Heaven complex can be seen in half a day, hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Here's a short video, click on the arrow to watch. Make sure you include this Temple in your Beijing family travel plans!

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Check out our Beijing Map for this and other Beijing Attractions' locations.

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