Temple of Heaven Park – March 18

Mondays are China days here at the Cape of Dreams for the next couple of months. To see earlier posts, visit the Travels tab under the heading or click here.

After we left the Forbidden City, we went to get something to eat. On the bus I finally got a picture of a magpie, but later I was to get better ones. I also took a picture of the old city walls and these weird little vehicles.

The restaurant was pretty with greenery everywhere. There was even bamboo growing out of the walls. Everyone liked the enormous fish bowls as well.

However, this restaurant will be most notable in our minds as the first, but not last, time that we drank chrysanthemum tea with the chrysanthemums intact in the pot. It is good.

From there we continued on to the Temple of Heaven Park. It is a 276-hectare park in the middle of Beijing. As Michael, our guide, told us a hectare is the size of a U.S. football field, so imagine 276 football fields laying side by side and you will have an idea of the size. To give you another comparison if you are a fellow New Yorker or have ever visited New York, Central Park is 341 hectares.

These temples were built as a place for the emperor to come to pray several times a year. There are several buildings and temples, each with their own purpose. Surrounding those are the park grounds which provide the locals with a paradisaical place to relax and exercise. I would have liked to spend more time on the grounds, but we had other places to visit and things to do. I just stop repeating that sentence as it has become my mantra about our trip to China.

We entered the park from the south and proceeded north through the center.

Here are some of the architectural details along the way.

We found this sign amusing.

The first temple along the way is the Round Altar. It is comprised of three circular tiers. The number nine is extremely important here, and every dimension was divisible by nine.

At the top of the altar is a round stone. Anything said from this stone is amplified by the marble balustrades that surround it.

Douglas took several pictures from the top that show bits of the modern city surrounding the park. As you can tell, it is hard to see the city even from the highest point. The park is so large that down on the ground it is easy to forget that you are in a city at all.

Continuing on down the stairs on the north side of the Round Altar we were headed toward the Imperial Vault of Heaven. Look how pretty the trash cans are. On our walks from altar to altar we could see a lot of kites. Unfortunately, as pretty as they are, it is difficult to photograph them.

Surrounding the Imperial Vault of Heaven is the Echo Wall. All of the names at the Temple of Heaven Park are literal, so I am sure that you can figure out what the wall does. If you stand on one side and speak normally, the sound will carry along the circular wall to anyone standing on the opposite side. It reminds me of the circular stairway in the Vatican that serves the same purpose, to allow people to hear other’s secrets. Here are some of the students trying it out.

The Imperial Vault of Heaven was beautiful.

At first, I was confused by this picture of us ascending the stairs to look inside. Why is the wall in this picture yellow brick when the other picture shows red brick. Is this really the Imperial Vault of Heaven? Then, I found this picture that shows the back side above the Echo Wall. The building is red in front and yellow on the sides and back. I wonder why.

Exiting to the north Douglas and I paused to appreciate the trees in the area. Some of the trees in the Temple of Heaven Park are as old as 800 years. They are spectacular and those who know me well know how difficult it was for me not to climb them. You can see how smooth the bark is from having so many people touch them every day. They are beautiful.

The Chengzhen Gate lays between the Echo Wall and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

Beyond the Chengzhen Gate is the Imperial Walkway Bridge. This walkway to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is raised in the middle. In the past only the emperor could walk down the center aisle. Of course, now most everyone does.

Along the walk to the right is this building that we did not visit. There were many side building that we skipped over. I really wanted to visit the Animal Killing Pavilion. The straightforward names that they give everything make me laugh every time.

Finally we arrived at the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.”crowning structure” of the Temple of Heaven to quote my Lonely Planet guide book.

The tiled ceiling is spectacular. When this building burnt down in the 19th Century, timber had to be brought in from Oregon because the Chinese forests did not have any trees big enough to support this roof.

The facade sports a three-tiered carving. People were throwing coins on it. I overheard a tourist saying that she would like to collect a few. It was funny because I was thinking the same thing!

Leaving the altars we were able to spend a very short time in the park. I enjoyed people watching. It is wonderful how many people in China use their parks on a regular basis. People were playing music and board games.

This was the first time that I ever saw anyone over thirty playing hacky sack. It is apparently a poplar activity in China, although the Chinese hacky sack has feathers.

I also took my best pictures of magpies. I love these birds.

I hope you have enjoyed your tour of the Temple of Heaven.

Happy Travels!