Three Famous Sacrificial Altars in Beijing

A lot of historical sites that interesting and worth to visit in Beijing. With long history behind, those historical places certainly will offer its own beauty. At past, in the Dynasty era of China, each emperor believed they must give the sacrifice and hold ceremonial rituals to Gods. Below, it is three famous sacrificial altars in Beijing which played an important part in the ritual life of the Ming and Qing emperors.

1. Temple of Heaven 

Temple of Heaven was used as the sacrificial altars where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped heaven and prayed for good harvests. It also has known as the largest existing complex of ancient sacrificial buildings in China. Built in 1420 and in total located in the area of 273 hectares, in more than 500 years, 22 emperors made 654 sacrifices to heaven here. 

The main building inside Temple of Heaven called The Hall of Prayer for the Good Harvest. The building stands on a round foundation built with three levels of marble stones and cone-shaped glaze-tile roof in blue color crowned with a gilded knob.
Another important building inside Temple of Heaven includes The Circular Mount Altar, Echo Wall, Imperial Vault of Heaven, Center of Heaven Stone and many others. It was open to the public in 1919 and soon became the top attraction of Beijing.

2. Altar of Earth (Ditan Park) 

 

Altar of Earth located in Andingmen and it was built in 1530 during Ming Dynasty. For some four centuries, Altar of Earth was the sacred place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped the God of Earth. Ditan Park located in the total 42.7 hectares area and also become the second largest of the four Temples of Beijing behind only the Temple of Heaven.
Every year, starting from 1986, Ditan Cultural Temple Fair was also held during the Spring Festival. The festival features thousands of red lanterns hanged on the many trees of the park. The festival attracts lot of locals to come and even tourists. Same as the other park in Beijing, the Park has also become the place where some elderly Chinese doing their daily activities, such as, playing cards, singing, dancing, exercising etc.

3. Temple of the Sun (Ritan Park) 

 

Ritan Park or also called Temple of the Sun is one of the biggest parks in Beijing. It was used as the place where Ming and Qing Dynasty emperors came for reflection, meditation, and carrying out ceremonial rituals and sacrifices to the God of the Sun. It was initially built in 1530 and was build in the Ming Dynasty and rebuild in Qing Dynasty.  There is a tradition to stand at the highest point of the park and watch the sun fade away behind the mountains. Qinghui Pavilion is the ideal location to see the sunrise and sunset which sit in the southeast side. If interested, visitors could enjoy stunning and beauty sunrise or sunset from here.
Not only that, the park has completed and opened to the public and have a children amusement park and a fishing area. Inside Ritan Park, there also occasionally hold some culture activities include music festivals, flower shows in the spring, morning exercise performances, and the adoption of ancient trees.