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Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing

Beijing · China

Background

World Heritage since
1998
Type of site
Cultural
Temple founded
1420

The Temple of Heaven, founded in the first half of the 15th century, is a dignified complex of fine cult buildings set in gardens and surrounded by historic pine woods. UNESCO says that in its overall layout and in each building it symbolises the relationship between earth and heaven, the human world and God's world, at the heart of Chinese cosmogony, and the special role of the emperors within it.

The complex was first built in 1420 under the Yongle Emperor, who also built the Forbidden City, and was enlarged by the Jiajing and Qianlong emperors; the Jiajing Emperor renamed it the Temple of Heaven in 1534 and added the temples of the Sun, Earth and Moon on the other sides of the city. The emperors came each year to pray for a good harvest; the Eight-Nation Alliance used it as a command post in 1900.

More on the UNESCO listing More on Wikipedia

  1. 1420The Yongle Emperor builds the Altar of Heaven and Earth
  2. 1534Renamed the Temple of Heaven under the Jiajing Emperor
  3. 1749The present layout is largely complete after Qing rebuilding
  4. 1900The Eight-Nation Alliance occupies the temple
  5. 1998Inscribed as World Heritage

Find Your Way Around

The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them

  1. 1
    Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests
    The round triple-roofed hall of blue tiles.
  2. 2
    Circular Mound Altar
    The open marble altar where the emperor prayed.
  3. 3
    Echo Wall
    The round wall that carries a whisper.
  4. 4
    The Park
    Pine woods where locals do tai chi, dance and play cards in the morning.
  5. 5
    Central Axis
    The temple sits on the north-south axis of the old capital, itself a World Heritage site.

Know Before You Go

From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides

Arrive Early
The GoGo guide is there at 7:30 for the morning tai chi, dancing and card games in the park.
Subway to Tiantan Dongmen
The east gate has its own station on Line 5.
Park and Temple Tickets
A park ticket covers the grounds; the halls and altar need the through ticket.
Tea House Scams
Wikivoyage: Beijing is very safe, but be wary of friendly strangers steering you to tea houses and art shows.

Altar and Park

From the GoGo Beijing guide · Open the Beijing Guide ›

  1. 07:30
    Temple of Heaven2 hrs
    The round hall and the tai chi in the park.
  2. 10:00
    Temple of Confucius1 hr
    The scholars' temple at Yonghegong.
  3. 19:30
    Evening on Qianmen Street90 min
    Lit-up shopfronts south of Tiananmen.

Best Time to Visit

Best months: Apr, Sep–Oct. Freezing days in Dec–Feb. Rainy season Jul.

Typical highs

Best monthsRain: wettest Jul (151 mm), driest Jan (2 mm)

Climate: NASA POWER

Pair It With

Other World Heritage sites nearby, by distance

WORTH A NIGHTDAY TRIPSAME DAYDistance not to scale · tap a site
Do These Together
The Central Axis is 3 km away, the Forbidden City 4 km and the Summer Palace 17 km.
Sources
UNESCO World Heritage Centre, listing 881 · Wikipedia: Temple of Heaven · Wikivoyage: Beijing (CC BY-SA 4.0) · GoGo Beijing guide · UNESCO listing