Temple of Heaven  

The Temple of Heaven is the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties "worshiped the heavens" and "prayed for the good harvest", and is located on the east side outside Zhengyangmen. The altar area is circular in the north and square in the south, which means "the square Earth and the round sky". Surrounded by two altar walls, the whole altar is divided into two parts, the inner altar and the outer altar, with a total area of 273 hectares, and the main buildings are concentrated in the inner altar.

The inner altar is divided into north and south parts by the wall. The altar in the north is used to pray for a good harvest in spring, and the central building is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. To the south is the "Circular Mound Altar", dedicated to the "winter solstice" day festival, and the central building is a huge circular stone platform called "Huanqiu". The two altars are connected by a 360-meter-long bridge, which together forms a 1,200-meter-long architectural axis of the Temple of Heaven from north to south, flanked by a large area of ancient cypress.

In December 2022, the cultural and creative space of Temple of Heaven Park was successfully selected as the "2022 Beijing Internet-famous Check-in Place", which is another good place to experience the culture of the Temple of Heaven.

Reservation:

WeChat public account of Temple of Heaven

Ming Tombs

The Ming Tombs are located at the foot of Tianshou Mountain, about 50 kilometers from Beijing. The mausoleum area is surrounded by mountains, the middle part is plain, and the small river in front of the mausoleum is winding. The mountains and waters are beautiful, and the scenery is pleasant. The thirteen imperial tombs are all built on the foothills of the east, west and north, forming a complete system, grand scale and majestic mausoleum complex.

At present, only Changling, Dingling, Zhaoling, Shenlu and Kangling scenic areas are open to the public. You can enter the interior to feel the details of Ming Dynasty architecture and the essence of ancient carving art.  

Reservation:

WeChat public account of Changping Cultural Tourism Group

Grand Canal

The ancient river, flowing for thousands of years, has created a flowing living world cultural heritage Grand Canal.

The river sections inscribed on the World Cultural Heritage List in Beijing include the Tonghui River in Xicheng District - Shichahai (including Qianhai, Houhai and Xihai), the old section of Tonghui River in Dongcheng District - Yuhe Gudao (from Wanning Bridge in the west to Dongbuya Bridge) in the east and Tonghui River Tongzhou Section in Tongzhou District (from Yongtong Bridge in the west to Tongzhou Beiguan Gate in the east). The heritage points include Chengqing Shangzha (Wanning Bridge) in Xicheng District and Chengqing Zhongzha (Dongbuya Bridge) in Dongcheng District, which is an important open urban landscape in Beijing. 

Reservation: No appointment is required

Translator: BAO Minmin

Reviewer: CHEN Nuoqi