Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Qiongyu), which was erected at the same time as the Round Altar, but with its
shape echoing the lines of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. The hall con-
tained tablets of the emperor's ancestors, employed during winter solstice ce-
remonies.
Wrapped around the Imperial Vault of Heaven is
Echo Wall
( Huiyinbi; ad-
mission ¥20)
. A whisper can travel clearly from one end to your friend's ear at
the other - unless a cacophonous tour group joins in (get here early for this
one).
Immediately south of Echo Wall, the 5m-high
Round Altar
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( Yuanqiu; admission ¥20)
was constructed in 1530 and rebuilt in
1740. Consisting of white marble arrayed in three tiers, its geometry revolves
around the imperial number nine. Odd numbers possess heavenly signific-
ance, with nine the largest single-digit odd number. Symbolising heaven, the
top tier is a huge mosaic of nine rings, each composed of multiples of nine
stones, so that the ninth ring equals 81 stones.
Beijing City Walls
Had they been preserved - or even partially protected - rather than almost entirely
obliterated in the ideological 1950s and '60s, Beijing's mighty city walls and impos-
ing gates would rank among China's top sights.
An epitaph for the city walls, the
Ming City Wall Ruins Park
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( Ming Chengqiang Yizhi Gongyuan; Chongwenmen Dongdajie; admis-
sion free; 24hr; Chongwenmen)
runs next to a section of the Ming-era, inner-
city wall along the entire length of the northern flank of Chongwenmen Dongdajie.
The park extends from the former site of Chongwen Men (one of the nine gates of
Dongnan Jiaolou; Dongbianmen; admission ¥10; 8am-5.30pm; Jianguomen
or Chongwenmen)
. The highly impressive interior has some staggering carpentry:
huge red pillars surge upwards, topped with solid beams. On the 1st floor is the su-
www.redgategallery.com
;
admission free;
10am-5pm)
; say you are visiting the
