China Beijing Ditan Park

Ditan Park was the place where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped the “Emperor God of the Land”. The park is home to numerous ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties, as well as places of worship and displays of worship items, where you can learn about the worship process.In addition, Ditan Park is beautiful. Every October and November, the park is covered in yellow ginkgo leaves, making it a great place for photography.The Temple of Earth in Beijing is the counterpart of the Temple of Heaven. Because the ancients had the saying “heaven and earth” and “heaven is round and earth is square,” the Temple of Heaven was built on the south side and the Temple of Earth on the north side.The buildings in the Temple of Heaven are all round in shape, while those in the Temple of Earth are all square. This is a major feature of the Temple of Earth Park, so keep an eye out for it.Ditan Park is about 600 meters long and wide, with entrances on the east, west, south and north. Visitors can simply stroll around after entering, and generally spend two hours here.Huangzhishe If you enter through the south gate, you will first come to Huangzhishe in Ditan Park. This is the main building in Ditan Park, where the god Huangdiji is worshipped, along with the gods of the five mountains, five towns, four seas, four rivers and five imperial tombs.In addition to numerous cultural relics, it is also a cultural relic exhibition hall, displaying a large number of ritual items such as bells, drums and other ritual items, where you can learn about the items and process of ritual offerings.Fangze Altar Behind Huangzhi Hall is the Fangze Altar, the core of the Ditan Park and the main place where emperors performed sacrifices.The entire altar is square in shape and is the second largest of the five major altars in Beijing (Temple of Heaven, Earth Altar, Sun Altar, Moon Altar, and Altar of Agriculture).There are also bronze and stone tripods on the altar that symbolize the five mountains and five towns, etc., which you can briefly visit.Visit the ancient Ming and Qing buildings After visiting Fangze Altar, continue on to the second courtyard of Ditan.There are ancient buildings such as the Zhaigong Hall and the Bell Tower.The Zhai Gong was once where the emperor stayed when he came here to offer sacrifices, so the environment of this courtyard is also relatively beautiful.There are many trees in the courtyard, small garden landscapes such as the rose garden and the health garden, a lake and rockeries, and flowers bloom in the spring and summer, creating a beautiful environment.There are also exquisite archways and other buildings on the west side of the courtyard, which can be visited or photographed.Children’s amusement park After passing through the second courtyard, there is the third courtyard near the north gate. The focus here is the children’s amusement park in the east, which has simple children’s rides such as the carousel and Flying Tigers. You can bring your children here to play, and each ride costs about 10-15 yuan.A famous place to enjoy apricots in autumn Every year from late October to early November, the ginkgo avenue in the park is a popular spot for Beijingers to take pictures of yellow leaves.The ginkgo avenue in Ditan Park is Beijing’s oldest ginkgo road. Some of the ginkgo trees were planted when the altar was built in the Ming Dynasty, and every time the yellow leaves appear, the sight is golden and very beautiful.The Avenue of Ginkgo Biloba is located in the north of the park and can be seen after entering through the north gate.The Spring Festival temple fair is very lively. During the Spring Festival, Ditan Park will hold a grand temple fair.The park will be bustling with activity, with many stalls selling traditional items and food stalls doing a roaring trade.On the altar, there will also be a Qing-style ritual performance, showcasing the grandeur of the emperor’s sacrificial ceremonies.There are also performances of regional and ethnic customs, band performances, cross talk and other performances, all of which are very exciting and worth visiting.For more information on the schedule, please call.