Beijing Temple of Heaven: Photo Gallery

People were engaged in all kinds of different strange and cool activities outside the Temple of Heaven.

Hall of Prayer of Good Harvests at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China.

On the eave of the building are little figurines that provide protection.

Detail of the stonework at the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at Tiantan or the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

Going up the stairs to the Hall of Prayer of Good Harvests at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China.

Hall of Prayer of Good Harvests at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China.

The buildings at the Temple of Heaven Park are ornate and colorful. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests was built out of wood without using nails.

Detail of the stonework at the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at Tiantan or the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

The Temple of Heaven was the first tourist attraction that we saw in Beijing.

There are three arbors at the entrance to a number of Chinese tourist attractions. Number symbolism is important and plays itself out in different ways at the Temple of Heaven Park.

Informative Sign.

There were two rectangular buildings and two circular buildings at the Temple of Heaven Park.

There’s always an abundance of stairs at tourist attractions in Beijing.

Informative Sign.

View from the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at the Temple of Heaven.

It wasn’t easy to make logical sense out of the arrangement of the buildings at the Temple of Heaven Park, but earth is represented by squares and heaven by circles…the connection between heaven and earth is alluded to in the positioning of the buildings in the park.

The circular buildings face each other and the square-ish buildings face each other to create a sort of “square” in the midst of them…thus the connection between heaven and earth (I suppose).

Early in the morning at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, people gathered to practice things like Tai Chi or dance.

Inside the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

Interior of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

Interior of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

The Temple of Heaven ended up being a pretty interesting tourist attraction, in part because of all the local activities going on at the entrance.

Just beyond the ticket entrance at the Temple of Heaven Park in Beijing were people doing “morning exercises” of all different kinds.

Informative Sign.

In the wide open spaces just beyond the ticketing area at the entrance, people were doing all kind of cool things, and some crappy speakers played patriotic music too.

We saw a lot of unexpected things including people playing hacky sack at the Temple of Heaven entrance.

Informative Sign.

People were doing all kinds of cool things at the entrance to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

Informative Sign.

The Imperial Vault of Heaven.

Just beyond the ticketing area at the entrance to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, there were people doing things like Tai Chi and dance, which was probably more interesting than the tourist attraction itself.

Imperial Vault of Heaven.

Informative Sign.

The West Annex Hall.

Informative Sign about the West Annex Hall.

Inside the Imperial Vault of Heaven.

Interior of the Imperial Vault of Heaven.

Interior of the Imperial Vault of Heaven.

Interior of the Imperial Vault of Heaven.

Interior of the Imperial Vault of Heaven.

Interior of the Imperial Vault of Heaven.

Imperial Vault of Heaven.

Informative sign about the Imperial Vault of Heaven

Imperial Vault of Heaven.

Informative Sign.

Working remotely isn’t always fun and games. It’s true that we get to travel because our work is location independent, but for the most part work still looks like work, no matter where we are in the world.

Imperial Vault of Heaven

Imperial Vault of Heaven.

On the Circular Mound Altar.

Stairs leading up to the Circular Mound Altar.

Circular Mound Altar

Informative Sign.

Circular Mound Altar

Stairs leading up to the Circular Mound Altar.

View from the Circular Mound Altar.

The touts got to us almost immediately when we arrived at the Temple of Heaven. They approached us in a parking lot filled with bicycles.

Informative Sign.

Circular Mound Altar at the Temple of Heaven.

Going up the stairs to the Circular Mound Altar.

It’s likely that all the people just inside the Temple of Heaven rode their bikes there to exercise.

This is the parking lot outside the Tiantan or Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

Obviously, there’s a cultural difference between the way people in Beijing think about bicycles in comparison with the way Americans think about them.