History
The Temple of Earth (dì tán 地坛) was constructed in 1530 by Emperor Jia Jing (jiā jìng 嘉靖) during the Ming Dynasty (míng cháo 明朝). The park covers a 40 hectares space outside of Beijing's second ring road (èr huán lù 二环路). This places the park in the middle of a heavily populated area. The park features lush gardens and tree lined paths. During the Cultural Revolution of China, the temple was damaged; however, the site has been restored and renovated since then.

For thousands of years, the Chinese have believed that important cosmic things could be symbolized using common shapes and directions. Because the Temple symbolizes the Earth, it's footprint is square in shape. The square is a powerful symbol in Chinese culture and mythology which can mean Earth or the ground. The Temple's construction mirrors these beliefs with its many square walls and altars. The Chinese government has listed the Earth temple as one of the most important historical monuments under special preservation. 

Ditan Park Today
It is rare to see foreign people or tourists in the actual Temple of Earth in the park. The Temple itself is actually a very small portion of the park. Aside form the Temple, the park offers a children's play arcade, water calligraphy (where tourists can purchase over sized brushes and "paint" with water on the cement.), food, and other minor attractions. The park is frequented by joggers and runners, and is a very popular place to do Tai Chi (tài jí 太极). Since the 1980s, traditional temple fairs have been held regularly during the Chinese lunar new year (chūn jié 春节).

Religious Purpose
The Temple of Earth was used for a specific purpose. Emperors of the Ming, and then later the Qing dynasties used the Temple for sacrifices which were used to appease (mǎn zú 满足) the gods, who in turn would help the nation. These sacrifices took place at the Temple of Earth during the summer solstice (xià zhì 夏至). Some things that sacrifices were done for include good harvest, a strong stable nation, and good weather.

During the Chinese New Year (which usually begins on the first day of the first lunar month of the year) the Temple of Earth holds a very popular festival. The festival features thousands of red lanterns hanged on the many trees of the park, and thousands of locals and tourist flock to the park every year to participate.

                                   (Click above picture to view the map)

Tel: 010-64214657
Admission Fee: 2 Yuan
Opening Hours: 6:00-21:00
Address: An Ding Men Wai (ān dìng mén wài 安定门外) Dong Cheng District (dōng chéng qǖ 东城区)
Public Transportation: You can take bus No. 27, 107, 644, to Di Tan Park.
You can take subway line 2 and get off at An Ding Men station or subway line 5 and get off at Yong He Gong (yōng hé gōng 雍和宫) station.

tags: Travel in Shanxi      Travel in Tibet