{"id":11947,"date":"2023-06-30T06:50:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-29T22:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/?p=11947"},"modified":"2023-07-01T02:47:05","modified_gmt":"2023-06-30T18:47:05","slug":"morning-stroll-around-ritan-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/beijing-travel\/morning-stroll-around-ritan-park","title":{"rendered":"Morning Stroll around Ritan Park"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ritan Park stands out from the numerous public parks in Beijing. \u201cRitan\u201d literally means \u201cAltar for the Sun\u201d or \u201cTemple of the Sun\u201d, a place\u00a0for ritual\u00a0sacrifice to the Sun by the successive emperors in Ming and Qing dynasties. Besides \u201cTemple of the Sun\u201d, in Beijing we also have Temple of Heaven<\/a>, Temple of the Earth<\/a> and Temple of the Moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The original altar was built in 1530 during the late Ming Dynasty. The altar faces west and it is a square base made from white\u00a0stone with its surface glazed red symbolising the sun. In Qing Dynasty it was rebuilt in bricks with nines steps in its four directions \u2013 east, south, west and north, which was surrounded by a red-coloured wall with glazed tiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The present altar was rebuilt in 1951 accordance with its original form in\u00a0Qing Dynasty. For the same year, a public park was built with the Sun Altar in the centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ritan Park is located in the heart\u00a0of the embassy area in Beijing. Now Ritan Park is a peaceful and serene respite in the bustle of Beijing. If you are planning your Beijing tour<\/a>, spending one or two hours in the park is\u00a0a pleasant escape\u00a0from so called classic attractions in Beijing for\u00a0an appealing opportunity\u00a0to feel and touch the daily life for the common people in Beijing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A morning stroll around Ritan Park will reward you with a chance to mix with the locals. Ritan Park is like a\u00a0family park where men and women do all sorts of exercises\u00a0\u2013 practising Tai Chi, dancing and singing, playing music, playing badminton, jogging, walking, meditating\u2026on and on. It is also a green park with many benches, an oasis in the city of Beijing.\u00a0In a word, Ritan Park is a place where you\u00a0just slow down and recharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ritan Park has three major entrances, namely, south,\u00a0north and west with its southern gate close to the Chang\u2019an Avenue. Take subway line 1 and get off at the station of Yonganli, then walk for about 1.4km, you will reach the southern entrance to Ritan Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The park is free of charge and open 24 hours a day. Its address: 6 Ritan Beilu, Chaoyang District, Beijing ( tel: 85611389 ). This is the southern entrance to Ritan Park.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"This<\/a>
This is the southern entrance to Ritan Park.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Just follow me along the central axis towards the north entrance to the park. In the park here and you there you could see the wooden signboards pointing to the places in the park.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"you<\/a>
you could see the wooden signboards pointing to the places in the park.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

There is a central road north of the southern gate where you will see plentiful people doing morning exercises, practicing Tai Chi and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"you<\/a>
you will see plentiful people doing morning exercises<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"This<\/a>
This is the mural on the ritual sacrifice to the Sun<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Behind the mural or to the northeast of the mural is the circular mound altar. This is the north gate to the walled Sun Altar.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"This<\/a>
This is the north gate to the walled Sun Altar.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

In an area to the east of the Sun Altar, the local Beijingers and foreigners as well do morning exercises, stretching their bodies\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"the<\/a>
the local Beijingers and foreigners as well do morning exercises, stretching their bodies<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Located in the east outside the north gate to the Sun Altar are the Divine Warehouse and Divine Kitchen within a square courtyard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are three rooms used for Divine Warehouse facing west where memorial tablets of Ming Dynasty is placed while three rooms facing south used for Divine Kitchen where offerings are stored and processed.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"the<\/a>
the Divine Warehouse and Divine Kitchen within a square courtyards<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"To<\/a>
To the west of the Divine Warehouse and Divine Kitchen is a garden with pretty wooden benches<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"Just<\/a>
Just slow down and recharge.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

This building with red wall and glazed tiles is the famous restaurant known as Xiao Wang\u2019s Home Restaurant that offers unique Chinese food.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Xiao<\/a>
Xiao Wang’s Home Restaurant that offers unique Chinese food<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"North<\/a>
North of the Divine Warehouse and Divine Kitchen is a decent and clean toilet in the traditional style.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"Outside<\/a>
Outside the north gate to Ritan Park and most of the early risers are retired senior citizens.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"An<\/a>
An old man is practicing Chinese calligraphy by writing Chinese characters on the ground with a large brush using water instead of ink<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"The<\/a>
The Dressing Hall is also under reconstruction at the time of my writing.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"Playing<\/a>
Playing badminton by the side of the Sun Altar Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"he<\/a>
he Heavenly West Gate where the emperors in Ming and Qing dynasties entered and exited<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"This<\/a>
This is the Sacred Way where the emperors walked to the Sun Altar.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"To<\/a>
To the west of the Heavenly West Gate people are dancing for morning exercises<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"The<\/a>
The sacred way between the Heavenly West Gate to the west gates of the Sun Altar is filled with people who are seeking Happiness through exercising.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"the<\/a>
the west gates to the Sun Altar<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"Dancing<\/a>
Dancing to the music played from a music recorder<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"Never<\/a>
Never too old to play badminton<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"This<\/a>
This is the Qinghui Pavilion, the high point in the park where you are able to have a good view of the surrounding<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"Below<\/a>
Below the pavilion is the waterscape in the park dotted with rockeries and water ponds<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"The<\/a>
The Stone Boat Cafe where you can enjoy a cup of tea or drink beer and watch the world going by<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"The<\/a>
The pond is filled with lotus leaves dotted with lotus flowers<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"To<\/a>
To the northeast of the South gate to the park is the Children’s playground.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"Practice<\/a>
Practice Tai Chi<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Tip: Hassle-free Beijing Guided Tours<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours,  here are some options for Beijing guided tours:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beijing Day Tour<\/a>
Beijing Tour Packages<\/a>
Beijing Winter Tour<\/a>
Beijing Autumn Tour<\/a>
Great Wall Tour<\/a>
Car Rental in Beijing<\/a>
Beijing Tours<\/a>
China City Tours<\/a>
China Tour<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further Readings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Best Time to Visit Beijing<\/a>
How to plan a trip to Beijing<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top 10 Attractions in Beijing<\/a>
How to Visit Forbidden City<\/a>
How to Visit Temple of Heaven<\/a>
How to Visit Summer Palace<\/a>
How to Visit Ming Tombs<\/a>
How to Visit the Great Wall of China<\/a>
How to Visit Tiananmen Square<\/a>
How to Visit Hutongs<\/a>
How to Visit Olympic Sites<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top 10 Markets in Beijing<\/a>
Top 10 Shopping Malls in Beijing<\/a>
Beijing Shopping<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wangfujing Walking Street<\/a>
Qianmen Commercial Street<\/a>
Gui Jie ( Ghost Street) Food Street<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any questions, just drop a line.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ritan Park stands out from the numerous public parks in Beijing. \u201cRitan\u201d literally means \u201cAltar for the Sun\u201d or \u201cTemple of the Sun\u201d, a place\u00a0for ritual\u00a0sacrifice to the Sun by the successive emperors in Ming and Qing dynasties. Besides \u201cTemple of the Sun\u201d, in Beijing we also have Temple of Heaven, Temple of the Earth…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,1853,19],"tags":[2265,2264,2263],"class_list":["post-11947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beijing-attractions-tips","category-self-service-tours","category-beijing-travel","tag-ritan-park-tips","tag-ritan-park-travel-tips","tag-walk-in-the-morning-at-ritan-park"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11947"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11947"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11947\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31926,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11947\/revisions\/31926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}