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Popular Scenic Spots
Tiananmen Square & Forbidden CitySummer Palace
Temple of Heaven
Ming Tombs
Hutong (traditional part of Beijing)
Beijing Zoo
Lama Temple
Xiushui Market/Silk Market
The Sacred Way
Bird's Nest & Water Cube (Olympic Village)
National Centre of Performing Arts
Olympic Green
Great Wall at Juyongguan (the most magnificent)
Great Wall at Badaling (the most famous)
Great wall at Mutianyu (the prettiest)
Great wall at Simatai (good for hiking)
Great wall at Jinshanling (good for hiking)
Huanghuacheng Great wall (not officially open, steep)
Jiankou Great wall (steepest)
- The Most Popular Scenic Spots
Temple of Heaven
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The Temple of Heaven was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped heaven and prayed for good harvests. They came here twice a year, on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month and on Winter Solstice. At first, both heaven and earth were worshipped here. After 1,530 when the Temple of Earth was built in the northern suburbs, only heaven was worshipped in this temple.Located in southern Beijing, it was first constructed in 1420, the 18th year of the reign of Ming emperor Yongle. During the reigns of Ming emperor Jiajing and Qing emperor Qianlong, it was extended and renovated. Covering the area of 273 hectares, it is the largest architectural complex in the world for rituals to pay homage to heaven. In 1918, it was turned into a park. In 1998, it was recognized by the UNESCO as "one of the human heritages of the world".
The Temple of Heaven is round in the north and square in the south, implying "round heaven and square earth". Two layers of surrounding walls divide the temple into Inner Altar and Outer Altar. The two altars, connected by a 360-metre-long raised walk called the Red Step Bridge, are arranged in a line forming a north-south axis 1,200 meters long, and flanked by century-old cypresses in a spacious area.Main buildings in the Temple of Heaven include the Hall of Prayer for Good harvests, the Hall of Heavenly Emperor, the Circular Mound, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, the Abstinence Hall, the Beamless Hall, the Long Corridor, the Longevity Pavilion in a double ring shape as well as the Echo Wall, the Three Echo Stones, and the Seven Meteoric Stones.