China Ancient Trip, Day 11: Beijing

Finally, I reached the final post for our trip to China. As the saying goes, all the good things will come to an end, and this trip will be the memorable one.

There was still plenty of time since our flight back home was early the next morning. We couldn't get an extension night but were only allowed to check out of the hotel before 6 pm.

Good thing we were able to slot in a half-day tour within the city. That day, we left before 8am to visit the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace.

The Temple of Heaven was built during the Ming Dynasty for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for a good harvest. It is located at the southern part of Beijing and there were three other temples: the Temple of Earth (north), the Temple of the Sun (east) and the Temple of the Moon (west).

Once we entered through the east gate of the park, we were amazed when we saw elderly people doing healthy physical activities. We walked along the beautiful, handcrafted architecture of the Long Corridor towards the Temple of Heaven.

The temple has been listed as World Heritage Site in 1998

Arriving at the Tiantan East Gate

It was early in the morning and they were ready to stretch their muscles

Some practicing tai chi.

Some playing Chinese chess game

From the east gate, this Long Corridor leads to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest

The prayer hall was grounded on three-tier marble-paved level 

The structure of the prayer hall has been built without a single nail

The temple was last reconstructed latest in 1751

Passing through the Chenseng Gate to the Imperial Vault of Heaven 

There were nine steps on each terrace leading to the Circular Mound of Altar

At the center of the upper terrace lies a round stone surrounded by nine concentric rings of stones

Stands an oven built of glazed-tiles, used as a sacrificial vessel for roasting ox and sheep, etc.

The Zhao Heng Gate is at the southernmost point of the entire park

After the driver picked us up outside the Zhao Heng, we visited the Summer Palace, located 30 km northwest of the Temple of Heaven. The Palace is situated in between the Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, creating an astounding atmosphere.

The bronze statues of phoenixes

Dragon statue sculpture guarding the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity

The rock maze form an aesthetic view of the Palace itself

You can climb the rock and follow through the path to the top of the Longevity Hill

We're interested in taking one of the boat rides across the lake, but the time doesn't permit it.

A blurry picture of the Summer Palace, from a distance.

The Long Corridor itself is 2,388 feet long and has more than 14,000 paintings covering it.

One of the many paintings in the Long Corridor.

Taking the picture of Long Corridor from different angle

We jump out from the Long Corridor and took the Qingyao Pavilion path instead

On the central axis of the Palace lies the hall of Dispelling Clouds

Getting nearer to another highlight of the Summer Palace

It's the Marble Boat, also known as the Boat of Purity and Ease

Taking a short break after couple of hours of walking

After passing through the Sumeru Temple, we walked through the Pine Grove

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The Suzhou River, also called Back Lake, is located near the North Gate.

We had lunch before Rose left us at the hotel's lobby and remarked that the tour had ended. It was time to go back home. 

Bye bye Beijing, bye bye China!

Exploring new places on my own has always been my travel preference. But this time we opted for guided tours for the trip in Xi'an and Beijing. The decision we made was just to make sure that we experience the best under the hands of expertise. We have just enough time for the two cities, other than the urban city of Hong Kong, surrounded by monuments from thousands of years ago. It’s as if you can touch the spirit of China. Yet, hope that we can visit other cities of this big country soon....