World Heritage #0881 – Temple of Heaven

Last modified 28.03.2022 | Published 06.06.2011China, North, Central and East Asia, World Heritage Sites

Est. reading time:

Watch your step in the Temple of Heaven park, nothing is arbitrary, everything has a meaning. To those who understand.

The UNESCO World Heritage List includes more than a thousand properties with outstanding universal value. They are all part of the world’s cultural and natural heritage.

Official facts

  • Full name of site: Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing
  • Country: China
  • Date of Inscription: 1998
  • Category: Cultural site

UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre’s short description of site no. 881:

“The Temple of Heaven, founded in the first half of the 15th century, is a dignified complex of fine cult buildings set in gardens and surrounded by historic pine woods. In its overall layout and that of its individual buildings, it symbolizes the relationship between earth and heaven the human world and God’s world which stands at the heart of Chinese cosmogony, and also the special role played by the emperors within that relationship.”

My visit

There is a huge park area, and a high degree of symmetry and symbolism. That is what the Chinese like. As can be seen in the video from 2011 I came in the way of a lady walking backwards on a straight line. When we visited the park we also came across a wonderful section with a number of exercise equipment. They were particularly popular among senior citizens – which you can see in another video.

Read more about my visit.

About this series.

Browse to the PREVIOUS or NEXT post.

The video is from 2011. The images below are from 2019.