I went to visit The Temple of Heaven the other day with my friend Richard. The Temple of Heaven is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Beijing and probably one of the most recognizable structures in China. The Temple of Heaven is a Taoist temple and was contructed in the early 1400's by the same dynasties that were responsible for the constuction of The Forbidden City. Emperors and others would pray at the Temple of Heaven for good harvests. The design and architecture involves a lot of symbolism of natural elements such as the seasons and animals of the Chinese Zodiac. The Temple is to connect the earth with heaven. I thought it was a very beautiful building and we were lucky to be there on a day when the air was mostly clear. Outside the temple is a park area that has corridors where locals sit and play traditional Chinese card games and board games. The park is also a popular place for people to go early in the mornings and do their exercises, tai chi, dancing, etc... We even saw a couple taking wedding photos there as well. Going to the Temple of Heaven today was a bit spontaneous but a place I have wanted to visit since coming to Beijing so I was very glad to be able to go and knock it off my Beijing bucket list! More photos will be on fb within a couple of weeks.
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