Beijing China: TEMPLE OF HEAVEN

Day 1 in Beijing: TEMPLE OF HEAVEN
(Destination 2 of 6)

An Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing, as inscribed on the UNESCO world heritage list.  According to UNESCO.org, 

"In its overall layout and that of its individual buildings, it symbolizes the relationship between earth and heaven – the human world and God's world – which stands at the heart of Chinese cosmogony, and also the special role played by the emperors within that relationship."

The majestic Temple of Heaven

The Temple was my third favorite place among the places we went to (first being the magnificent Great Wall and second the serene Summer Palace).  Even with lots of tourists milling around, the place was silent and still reverential.  From the entrance, one cannot help but stare in awe at the majestic Temple.  Repainted before the 2008 Olympics, the colors were so vibrant and alive on top of the (off) white stone base. 

Lamp stands and old paper money burners align the way to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.  The temple was used only by the Emperor to offer sacrifice and pray to the god of heaven for good harvest during winter solstice.  It is said that his successful reign is dependent on the harvest of the season.  

Altar inside the temple

The temple design has the dragon and phoenix designs all over, then representing the emperor and empress, but now symbolizing husband and wife.  The color blue symbolized heaven.  

The dragon design is dominant all over the place, as shown in this water spout, at the base of the Temple.

Dragon & phoenix design

Dragon door knocker

Dragon water spout

The doors to the Temple have round gold designs (those are actually the nails), nine across and nine down.  The number 9 is the number of the emperor.  If you count the steps, they are also grouped by nine.  The door knocker also has the dragon design, symbolizing the emperor.  Yellow and red are considered imperial colors and are dominant throughout the imperial structures we saw in Beijing.

Copying a scene from Karate Kid 2

And on that particular day when we were scheduled to visit Temple of Heaven and Forbidden City, my husband wore yellow shirt, I wore red blouse and my son wore a red shirt with yellow print! Talk about imperial colors...what a coincidence!

Outside the Temple is an extensive park and garden with centuries-old trees lining the walkway and greens all around.  From a (home) city with no "green" public park, the place was really a refreshing sight. 

More photos...

(Left:) A centuries-old tree; (Middle:) My family, "where to go", lampposts

Our group

Next stop is our Peking duck lunch...