The next day we started for the Temple of Heaven. The name was intriguing, and I wanted to see it. We went in our van, got down at the gate, and walked.
It is an imperial complex of large religious buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing.
The complex was visited by the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for a good harvest.
The temple complex was constructed from 1406 to 1420 during the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, who was also responsible for the construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing.
The complex was extended and renamed the Temple of Heaven during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor in the 16th century, who also built three other prominent temples in Beijing: the Temple of the Sun in the east, the Temple of Earth in the north, and the Temple of Moon in the west.
The Temple of Heaven was renovated in the 18th century by Emperor Qianlong and in 1918 the temple was turned into a park and, for the first time, opened to the public.
The Temple grounds cover 675 acres and comprise three main groups of constructions, all built according to strict philosophical requirements.
The Temple of Heaven is larger than the Forbidden City, as the 'Sons of Heaven, ' Chinese emperors, were not allowed to build a dwelling for themselves bigger than the Temple of Heaven.
The temple is enclosed by a long wall; the northern part of the wall is semicircular, symbolising heaven, and the southern part is square, symbolising the earth.
The northern part is higher than the southern part, depicting that heaven is high and earth is low.
As we walked along, we realised the sheer magnificence of the buildings; we could see the Circular Mound Altar, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.
The most favourite place for visitors to visit is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, which is a magnificent triple-gabled circular building, 118 ft in diameter and 125 ft tall, built on a 3-level marble stone base.
The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests sits on a huge round white marble platform named Altar for Grain Prayers. The altar has three floors, each surrounded by carved white marble railings. The stairs connecting each floor are well decorated.
Imperial Hall of Heaven is located to the north of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, connecting with the Altar for Grain Prayers by three glazed doors. It used to be the place where God tablets were consecrated, and the roof of the hall is covered with blue-colored glazed tiles.
The long corridor is 16 feet wide and 1,150 feet long. It consists of 72 rooms sharing the same back wall and roof, so it is also called the Seventy-Two Corridor.
On the eve of the sacrificial ceremony, the corridor used to be lit up by lanterns, and all the offerings, including jade, silk, grain, and fruits, were transported to the altars along the Long Corridor.
There are beautiful paintings on the ceiling and benches set between the pillars, fully being utilized by the senior citizens.
The Imperial Vault is connected to the Hall of Prayer by the Vermilion Steps Bridge, or Danbi Bridge, a 1,180 ft long raised walkway that slowly ascends from the Vault to the Hall of Prayer. The dome for this building also has no crossbeams to support it.
Located in the southern part of this area, the Circular Altar Mound is the altar proper. It is an empty circular platform on three levels of marble stones, each decorated with lavishly carved dragons. The numbers of various elements of the Altar, including its balusters and steps, are either the sacred number nine or its nonuplets.
The center of the altar is a round slate called the Heart of Heaven or the Supreme Yang, where the emperor prayed for favorable weather.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the emperors would offer sacrifices here to Heaven on the day of the Winter Solstice every year.
Twice a year, the emperor and all his retinue would move from the Forbidden City through Beijing to encamp within the complex, wearing special robes and abstaining from eating meat.
No ordinary Chinese was allowed to view this procession or the following ceremony. In the temple complex, the emperor would personally pray to Heaven for good harvests.
The ceremony had to be perfectly completed, as the smallest of mistakes would constitute a bad omen for the whole nation in the coming year.
All the buildings within the temple had special dark blue roof tiles, representing Heaven.
What impressed me most was the extensive park of the Temple of Heaven, which was open to the general public .
It is said that there are over 60,000 varieties of trees in the park, and there is a wonderful atmosphere for locals to come to the park.
We were told the average retirement age in China is among the lowest in the world; it was set in the 1950s when life expectancy was low. For most men in China, the age is 60, much lower than the average of 64.2. For female civil servants, the age is 55; for blue-collar women, it is 50.
Since standards were set, life expectancy has soared while the number of working adults has begun to shrink. But persuading people that they should work longer is proving hard for the Government.
Our guide told us that because they retire early, the grandparents are entirely free to look after their grandchildren, and usually one set of grandparents drop them at school and come and enjoy the parks, either playing games and exercising; the other set picks them up from school and drops them home, which leaves the parents free to attend to their duties. I found this situation an ideal one.
Some of the area consisted of playgrounds, exercise and game areas. Exercise equipment like ellipticals and pulldown machines aimed at light cardio workouts and gentle strength training.
These facilities were being used by adults, parents, and grandparents; some brought their children to play, and even the open spaces and side buildings of the temple were being used.
We saw some people exercising, some doing Tai Chi, a few practising Kung Fu, and a group singing Peking Opera.
A few were playing Mahjong (a game like Scrabble) and chess; some were busy knitting, some played hacky sack, and some flew kites.
I loved this atmosphere, fully charged with positivity and energy; I was sure regular trips to such parks and interaction with others of the same age would be therapeutic and invigorating
.Such senior playgrounds are also introduced in several other countries, as it is felt that the ageing population must be kept healthy and agile.
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