Plan your Beijing Tour? The Temple of Heaven is one of the Top 10 Attractions in Beijing. The Temple of Heaven in Chinese is called “Tian Tan （天坛）” which literally means “the Altar of Heaven” that composes a group of religious buildings. It is located close to the southern end of Beijing central axis starting Yongdingmen to the the Bell and Drum Towers in the north.

The complex was the former sacred place where the emperors in Ming and Qing dynastied held religious ceremonies annually praying for good harvest. From the south to the north, the Temple of Heaven is mainly composed of  the Circular Mound Altar, the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

Most people would visit the Temple of Heaven from its south gate or east gate to its north gate or east gate. The park opens at 6am and closes at 8pm. The main buildings inside the park of Temple of Heaven is open at 8:00am.

It is interesting to visit the Temple of Heaven early in the morning to see local people, most of them are middled aged or older people doing various kinds of light physical activity you can imagine, like singing, dancing, playing instruments, playing chess, practicing kung fu, tai chi…

Check how to visit Temple of Heaven for more information.

Related Temple of Heaven tours:  Beijing Private Tour and Beijing Bus Tour.

Follow me to have a photo tour of the Temple of Heaven.

The Long Corridor 350 meters long and 5 meters wide.

Every early morning many locals come to the Temple of Heaven doing kinds of light physical activity such as singing, dancing, playing instruments, playing chess, practicing kung fu, tai chi. Practicing the ancient martial art of sword fighting

 Early morning Qigong practices at the park of the Temple of Heaven. View the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests outside the wall of the building

the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests

A close look at the plaque inscribed with the three Chinese characters 祈年殿（Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. the Imperial Vault of Heaven

The Imperial Vault of Heave is circled by a smooth circular wall, the Echo Wall

the Circular Mound Altar

The Heavenly Central Stone in the heart of the circular mound.

Standing on the Circular Mound and looking at the north –  The Imperial Vault of Heave complex.

Standing on the Circular Mound and looking at the south – the south gate of Temple of Heaven. Three terraces of white marble circle the Circular Mound Altar

The central axis linking the north and south inside the compound of the Temple of Heaven

Doing special mental exercise of writing on the ground in water with brush.

Tip:  Hassle-free Beijing Guided Tours
If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours,  here are some options for guided tours to Beijing:

Beijing Highlight Day Tour from US$59 P/P
(Tiananmen + Forbidden City + Mutianyu Great Wall)
Beijing Classic City Tour from US$65 P/P
(Tiananmen + Forbidden City + Temple of Heaven + Summer Palace)
Beijing Excursion Tour from US$59 P/P
(Mutianyu Great Wall + Ming Tomb)
Beijing Hutong Highlight Tour from US$59 P/P
( Hutong + Rickshaw)

Mutianyu Great Wall Half Day Tour from US$55 p/p
Hike from Jiankou to Mutianyu Great Wall Day Tour from US$69 p/p

Mutianyu Great Wall Layover Tour from US$65 p/p
Beijing Highlight Layover Tour from US$75 p/p

Further Readings

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Top 10 Attractions in Beijing
How to Visit Forbidden City
How to Visit Temple of Heaven
How to Visit Summer Palace
How to Visit Ming Tombs
How to Visit the Great Wall of China
How to Visit Tiananmen Square
How to Visit Hutongs
How to Visit Olympic Sites

Top 10 Markets in Beijing
Top 10 Shopping Malls in Beijing
Beijing Shopping

Wangfujing Night Snack Street
Qianmen Commercial Street
Beijing Huguosi Street

Any questions, just drop a line.