BEIJING (Day 3 - part 1)

This morning we checked out of our hotel and loaded our bags on the tour bus. Our first stop was the Temple of Heaven. This was where emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties went to worship the God of Heaven and pray for good harvests.

The temple complex was constructed from 1406 to 1420 during the reign of the Yongle Emperor, who also built the Forbidden City. It was extended during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor in the 16th century. In 1918, it was turned into park and opened to the public.

In ancient China, the emperor was regarded as the Son of Heaven who represented heavenly authority and administered earthly matters on behalf of of it. To show respect to the source of his authority, in the form of sacrifices to heaven, was extremely important. The temple was built for these ceremonies, mostly comprising of prayers for good harvests. Twice a year, on the 15th day of the first lunar month and on the winter solstice, the emperor would come here from the Forbidden City. The ceremonies had to be perfect, for it was widely held that the smallest of mistakes would constitute a bad omen for the whole nation in the coming year.

Heaven worship is a Chinese religious belief that predates Taoism and Confucianism, but was later incorporated into both. It first took place in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1045 - 771 BC), and later became routine during the Han period (206 BC - 220 AD). Heaven worship is closely linked with ancestor veneration, as the ancestors are seen as a medium between Heaven and man. The emperor was supposedly able to commune with Heaven on behalf of his nation.


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Tiantan Park

Surrounding the temples is a very popular park used for exercising... in many ways, shapes and forms.


Walking into the park


T'ai chi, an internal martial art, is often practiced for health.


Singing and clapping


Some women kicking around a hacky sack bag


Women performing a flag dance to music in front of the East Celestial Gate


A closer view


Tai chi rouli (or bailong) ball is played using soft powerful flowing movements generated from the waist and legs to control the ball with skill and subtlety. It is graceful and flowing.


Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which competitors manipulate some kind of apparatus such as rope, hoops, balls, clubs or ribbons.

The Huanqian (Imperial Heaven) Long Corridor:

The 980-foot corridor leading to the Temple of Heaven was very lively and filled with different activities. Originally was used to carry slaughtered sacrificial animals (cows, pigs, sheep, rabbits, etc) from the Divine Kitchen and Butcher House to the temple alter. The covered walkway was meant to protect the sacrifice from being 'stained' by the elements.


Tony leads the way.


A rousing game of cards


A traditional instrument


A small concert


A caged bird sits next to a newly bloomed cherry tree.

Keeping song birds has long been a favorite hobby in China. In bird singing competitions, the winners were the birds who could sing the highest number of different songs in 15 minutes. The record is 189. Younger birds are trained by carefully placing them near older birds.

It is very common to see old men with cloth-covered cages taking their birds for 'walks' in the park. One travel writer once remarked that "China is probably the only place where people walk their birds and eat their dogs."

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest

The Qiniandian (Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests) was the tallest building around 500 years ago. This was in order to get closer to heaven with the hopes of getting what was prayed for. The original hall, which was constructed in 1420, was made entirely of wood. It was destroyed by fire in 1889 and subsequently rebuilt. Post & beam construction was used in both versions, and all joints were put together without the use of fasteners or nails.

Mathmatics and seasonal or celestial calculations play a major role in its design, with its roof of three concentric circles being supported by four massive wood columns that symbolize the four seasons. Other aspects of the building's design equate to the twelve months of the year and twelve hours in a day. Round shapes symbolize heaven (the head); square shapes symbolize earth (the feet).

The temple:


Again we see the three-level terraces of earth, man and finally heaven. The lower courtyard is square, and the elevated temple is round. The roofing is made of 50,000 blue glazed tiles, the color of the sky.


Two common images are of the dragon and the phoenix.

The Chinese dragon is traditionally the embodiment of the concept of yang (male) and associated with the weather as the bringer of rain and water. Its female counterpart is the Fenghuang (usually translated as a phoenix).

Yin and yang are complementary opposites within a greater whole. Everything has both yin and yang aspects, which constantly interact, never existing in absolute stasis. It is a way of describing the interactions and interrelations of the natural forces that occur in the world. It is unity in duality.

The Taijitu (roughly translated as Diagram of Ultimate Power) refers to any of the Chinese symbols for the concept of yin and yang. The most recognized one is composed of two teardrop-shaped curves. Yin is black, female, receptive, yielding, negative, and nurturing. It is associated with night, valleys, rivers, streams, water, metal, and earth. Yang is white, male, active, dominating, positive, and initiating/creating. It is associated with day, mountains, hills, fire, wood, and air.

Inside:


A row of cows


Despite its size, only 28 massive wooden pillars support the entire structure (the ancient Chinese believed that there were 28 constellations that made up the sky). The four large pillars in the center are known as the Dragon Well Pillars, each one representing one of the four seasons.

Slab carving:

In the middle of each three-tiered flight of stairs, there is a giant marble ramp carved with cloud, dragon and phoenix designs.


Two phoenixes fly through the clouds high above some mountains.


A dragon


Although called a Chinese phoenix, the Fenghuang seems to have no connection with the Western phoenix, which derives from Egyptian mythology.

Fenghuang are mythological birds of East Asia that reign over all other birds. The males are called Feng and the females Huang. In modern times, however, such a distinction of gender is often no longer made and the Feng and Huang are blurred into a single feminine entity so that the bird can be paired with the Chinese dragon, which has male connotations. This King of Birds came to symbolize the empress when paired with a dragon, which represented the emperor.

Surrounding complex:

All the buildings within the temple have special dark blue roof tiles, representing heaven.

Gate and Imperial Walkway Bridge


The Gate of Prayer for Good Harvest leads to the next set of temples, the Imperial Vault of Heaven and then the Circular Mound Altar.


The walkway is flanked by centuries-old cypress trees. In the far distance is Chengzhen (Adopting Fidelity) Gate.

The Danbiqiao (Imperial Walkway Bridge, Vermilion Steps Bridge, or Sacred Way) is a 1,180-foot raised walkway. The brick patterns divide it into three distinct paths: the central widest one (Heavenly Thoroughfare) was reserved exclusively for the gods, the east one (Imperial Walk) was for the emperor, and the west one was for the empress and court officials.

It is called a bridge because at one point there was a tunnel under it. It was reserved for sacrificial oxen and sheep who were slaughtered at a slaughterhouse about 500 meters away and brought here for sacrifice.

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