The Temple of Heaven is a special altar for the Emperor of the Ming and Qing Dynasties to worship the heavens, ask for rain and pray for the harvest. The north of the altar is round and the south is square, meaning ” round heaven and square earth.” It is divided into two parts: the inner altar and the outer altar. The northern part of the inner altar is the “altar praying for grain”. It is the place where the emperor held the grain praying Grand Ceremony in the spring, mainly including the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Emperor Hall. In the south, it is Circular Mound Altar, and it is the place where the emperor worships the heavens on the winter solstice. It mainly includes the Circular Mound Altar, the Imperial Heavenly Vault and god kitchen and the temple and the animal sacrificial pavilion.
When you have a visit in the Temple of Heaven, in addition to visit the delicate buildings of the various halls, the whispering walls, the three-tone stone and other wonderful design also sighs the wisdom of the ancients. The tour is usually starting from the south gate and get out there from the north gate (or the east gate), and then visit the Circular Mound Altar, Imperial Heavenly Vault, Danbi Bridge, the Hall of Prayer and the Emperor’s Palace.
Official number of the Temple of Heaven: 010-67028866; 010-67013036; 010-67012402
Visiting time reference: More than 3 hours
How to go to the Temple of Heaven:
Bus:
South Gate of the Temple of Heaven: take the No. 36, 120, 122 bus.
West Gate of the Temple of Heaven: take the 2, 20, 120 bus.
North Gate of the Temple of Heaven: take the 6, 34, 35, 36, 106, 111 bus.
East Gate of the Temple of Heaven: take the 6, 25, 34, 35, 36, 39, 41, 43, 60, 610, 684, 685, 723, 814 bus.
Subway: Take subway Line 5 to Tiantan Dongmen Station.
Tickets:
Tickets: Adult ticket 15 RMB / discount ticket 7.5 RMB; (During Monday – Sunday from April 1 – October 31)
Tickets: Adult ticket 10 RMB / discount ticket 5 RMB; (During Monday – Sunday from November 1 – March 31 of the following year)
Opening hours
06:00-22:00; stop ticketing time: 20:00 (During Monday – Sunday from April 1st – October 31st)
06:30-22:00; stop ticketing time: 20:00 (During Monday – Sunday from November 1st – March 31st of the following year)