Temple of Heaven, Beijing

Temple of Heaven, to the south-east of the Tiananmen Square, is the site where the emperor prayed every year for a bountiful harvest and fair weather

Holidayen / Beijing / Places to Visit / Temple of Heaven

  Loading

Relevance Price Price Rating

Showing 1 to 18 of 247 Offers

Beijing Classic Full-Day Tour including the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven

  303 Reviews

    9 hours

$82

See all the classic Beijing sights on a full-day sightseeing tour covering Tiananmen Square, the Fo...

SEE IT

Offered by Viator

Beijing: Forbidden City and Summer Palace Full-Day Tour

  148 Reviews

   7 hour

$40

Explore the history of China on a 7-hour coach tour of some of Beijing’s most iconic sites, includin...

SEE IT

Offered by Get Your Guide

Beijing Historical Tour including the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and Temple of Heaven

  80 Reviews

   7 hours

$56

Get to know Beijing and its amazing history by visiting three of the city's most impressive his...

SEE IT

Offered by Viator

Beijing: Skip-the-Line Temple of Heaven Ticket

  79 Reviews

    1 day

$10

Explore the Temple of Heaven, also known as the Beijing Tian Tan and considered a masterpiece among ...

SEE IT

Offered by Get Your Guide

Private Tour: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven in Beijing

  47 Reviews

   7 hours

$140

On this dynamic private tour of Beijing, discover world-famous monuments and experience local c...

SEE IT

Offered by Viator

2-Day Small-Group Beijing Boutique Tour: Forbidden City, Mutianyu Great Wall, Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven

  34 Reviews

 2 days

$220

2 days small group tour with our expert guide in Beijing, visiting the Great Wall...

SEE IT

Offered by Viator

Private Tour: Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and Summer Palace

  31 Reviews

   8 hours

$122

This private day tour is a comprehensive introduction to the most popular attractions in Beijin...

SEE IT

Offered by Viator

Beijing Private Tour: Temple of Heaven, Hongqiao Market and Kung Fu Show with Peking Duck Dinner

  20 Reviews

   6-7 hours

$188

Mobile Voucher Accepted


 
 This private tour of Beijing will be filled with a variety of activities that lets you...

SEE IT

Offered by Travel Toe

Beijing Private Tour: Temple of Heaven, Hongqiao Market and Kung Fu Show with Peking Duck Dinner

  14 Reviews

 6-7 hours

$140

This private tour of Beijing will be filled with a variety of activities that lets you see and ...

SEE IT

Offered by Viator

Beijing: Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven

  9 Reviews

   8 hour

$57

See the historical highlights of Beijing on a full-day tour. Visit Tiananmen Square, a mixture of Co...

SEE IT

Offered by Get Your Guide

Historic Beijing: Forbidden City & Temple of Heaven Tour

  7 Reviews

   8 hour

$75

Spend the day exploring the historic Chinese capital of Beijing. Thrill to the history behind the ma...

SEE IT

Offered by Get Your Guide

Beijing by Bus: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace

  6 Reviews

   8 hours

$49

This is a full day tour to explore Beijing and visit the city’s renown historical...

SEE IT

Offered by Viator

Private City Tour By Public Transportation: Temple Of Heaven, Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City

  6 Reviews

   6 hours

$39

Beijing features a remarkably comprehensive and efficient public-transportation system. So to t...

SEE IT

Offered by Viator

Private Tour of Temple of heaven, Tian'anmen Square and Forbidden City from Beijing

  6 Reviews

   6 hours

$63

Explore the architecture, culture and heritage of Beijing on this private day tour. Follow your...

SEE IT

Offered by Viator

Full Day Tour including Forbidden City, Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven with Acrobatic Show and Peking Duck Dinner

  5 Reviews

   7 hours

$87

Enjoy a full day getting a closer look at the many things that Beijing has to off...

SEE IT

Offered by Viator

Full-Day Beijing Tour: Forbidden City, Tian'anmen Square and Summer Palace

  4 Reviews

 8 to 9 hrs

$78

This full-day private Beijing city tour takes you to visit Temple of Heaven, Summ...

SEE IT

Offered by Viator

Private Beijing Day Tour: Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace

  3 Reviews

   8 hours

$74

Beijing with a history of over a thousand years is rich in cultural heritage and relics. In thi...

SEE IT

Offered by Viator

Beijing Day Tour: Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace

  3 Reviews

   8 hours

$48

Make full use of your time in Beijing and explore the ancient capital’s highlight...

SEE IT

Offered by Viator

Jump to Page

Temple of Heaven, Beijing

Temple of Heaven, to the south-east of the Tiananmen Square, is the site where the emperor prayed every year for a bountiful harvest and fair weather.

Temple of Heaven, to the south-east of the Tiananmen Square, is the site where the emperor prayed every year for a bountiful harvest and fair weather. Built in 1420 and later renovated a few times, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its architectural integrity and authenticity as well as symbolism.

The layout of the temple complex is oriented along the Red Steps Bridge on the north-south axis, with a circular northern part and square southern part, symbolizing ancient Chinese belief that Heaven is round and Earth is square.

In the northern part stands the Qinian Dian Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a circular wooden building where the Emperor prayed for good harvests by sacrificing animals and burning incense in ceremony. Its blue circular roof represents the sky, and the roof is centered around a gilded dragon and phoenix. Dragon and phoenix motifs are a recurring feature throughout, representing the emperor and empress. The hall has with three levels of marble, with 4 inner (Dragon Well), 12 middle and 12 outer pillars, representing the 4 seasons, 12 months and 12 traditional Chinese hours respectively.

The 360 metre long Red Steps Bridge to its south leads to the Imperial Vault of Heaven, a circular building where the emperor made offerings. It is surrounded by the Echo Wall that can transmit sounds over large distances.

The Circular Mound Altar is an empty circular platform on three levels of marble stones, each decorated by lavishly carved dragons. The center of the altar is a round slate called the Heart of Heaven or Sun Stone where the Emperor prayed for favorable weather.

The Fasting Palace or Palace of Abstinence was where emperors fasted before the ceremony.

The Temple of Heaven is surrounded by a sprawling public park popular with local residents practicing tai-chi and other martial arts in the mornings. It has one of the greenest patches in the city, with ancient trees and a peaceful ambience.

Hours

Sun

NA

Mon

NA

Tue

NA

Wed

NA

Thu

NA

Fri

NA

Sat

NA

About Temple of Heaven

 Beijing

Temple of Heaven and Nearby Sights on Map

Beijing Museum of Natural History

Large museum with a lot of information on nature, but some of the exhibitions are a bit old fashioned

Fire God Temple

Newly renovated temple

Underground City Beijing

The Underground City is a Cold War era bomb shelter comprising a complex of tunnels under Beijing, built between 1969 to 1979 to protect residents from potential conventional, nuclear and biochemical attacks in the event of a war with the Soviet Union

Yongdingmen

Yongdingmen was the former front gate of the outer section of Beijing's old city wall during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, originally built in 1553

Beijing Police Museum

Large museum on police history

Beijing Amusement Park

Beijing's first amusement park

Longtan Park

Park with lake, boats for hire, teahouses and a restaurant, childrens playground, pavilions, a bird market and a lot of dragons

Song Tang Zhai Museum of Traditional Chinese Folk Carving

This is a small privately owned museum showing carvings in doors, furniture, other wood and stone

Museum of Ancient Architecture

Museum with a model of Beijing ancient city as well as exhibits of Beijing's ancient architecture

Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall

Museum with a large model of the city, historical pictures from the city and also other exhibitions with relation to the layout and structure of Beijing