Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
after the erstwhile factories here that made glazed tiles for the roofs of the Forbidden City,
it has been rebuilt as a heritage street, using Ming-style architecture; today it's full of curio
stores (remember to bargain hard, and that every antique is fake). Though there is nothing to
distinguish it outwardly from the shops, no. 14 is a small and rather charming
museum
of
folk carving (daily 9am-6pm; free), full of screen doors, woodblocks and the like, with some
very skilfully crafted pieces. The
Ji Guge
teahouse on the main road offers welcome respite
for shoppers.
Tiantan Park and the Temple of Heaven
Tiantan Park
天坛公园
, tiāntán gōngyuán • Daily 6am-9pm
Temple of Heaven
天坛
, tiāntán • Daily
Set in a large, tranquil park about 2km south of Tian'anmen, the
TempleofHeaven
is widely
regarded as the pinnacle of Ming design. For five centuries it was at the very heart of imperi-
al ceremony and symbolism, and for many modern visitors its architectural unity and beauty
remain more appealing - and on a much more accessible scale - than the Forbidden City.
Tiantan Park
itself is possibly the best in Beijing, and worth a visit in its own right; it's
easy to find peaceful seclusion away from the temple buildings. Old men gather here with
their pet birds and crickets, while from dawn onwards,
tai ji
practitioners
can be seen lost in
concentration among the groves of 500-year-old thuja trees.
