Himmelstempel — Das Heilige Herz des Kaiserlichen Chinas
Temple of Heaven (天坛 — Tiāntán — UNESCO World Heritage since 1998, in the Chongwen district of southern Beijing — the complex of religious buildings where the Ming and Qing emperors conducted the state ceremonies of Heaven worship from 1420 to 1914): the complex (covering 273 hectares, the largest surviving imperial altar complex in China) includes the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (祈年殿 — the circular triple-eaved hall on a three-tiered marble platform, built without a single nail, the blue roof tiles representing Heaven — the most photographed building in Beijing other than the Forbidden City) and the Circular Mound Altar (圜丘坛 — the open-air white marble three-tiered circular altar where the emperor performed the Heaven sacrifice).
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Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests — Qiniandian
The triple-gabled circular Hall of Prayer (1420, rebuilt 1889) is Beijing's most iconic structure — a 38m blue-tiled dome on three marble terraces where emperors prayed for good harvests without using a single nail in the original construction.
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Circular Mound Altar — Winter Solstice Ritual
The open marble Circular Mound Altar ('Huanqiutan') is where the emperor performed the Heaven Sacrifice at winter solstice, the most important state ritual in imperial China — the central stone is said to be the center of the universe.
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Echo Wall — The Perfect Acoustic Circle
The 65-meter circular Echo Wall surrounding the Imperial Vault of Heaven ('Huangqiongyu') transmits a whisper the full circumference — one of the world's great acoustic phenomena, exploited by curious visitors since the 15th century.
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Morning Tai Chi & Exercise in the Cypress Grove
Temple of Heaven Park's 600-year-old cypress groves fill each morning with retirees performing tai chi, sword dancing, opera singing, badminton, and 'diabolo' juggling — Beijing's most vibrant display of traditional public life.
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Imperial Vault of Heaven — Blue-Tiled Rotunda
The smaller cylindrical Imperial Vault of Heaven stores the spirit tablets used in the solstice ceremony. Its surrounding wall produces the echo phenomenon, and the three Echo Stones in the courtyard multiply footstep sounds.
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Zhengyangmen Gate & Qianmen Pedestrian Street
Zhengyangmen ('Front Gate') south of Tiananmen Square marks the former city wall's main gate. The restored Qianmen pedestrian street below replicates early 20th-century commercial Beijing with tea houses and traditional shops.