Temple of Earth, Beijing

Temple of Earth, Beijing

Just outside the second ring road in Beijing, around the Andingmen area, you can find the Temple of Earth. This temple is spread over 42.7 acres and is close to the famous Yonghe Temple.

Temple of Earth was built by Emperor Jia Jing of the Ming Dynasty in 1530. Here, annual ritual of offering to the heaven was held during summer solstice and was attended by Qing and Ming dynasty emperors.

As you enter the temple premises, you will find charming tree lined paths and lush gardens. It was restored and renovated over a period of time after being damaged during the Cultural Revolution. The temple is square in shape because it symbolizes the Earth. It is located to the north of Beijing because Chinese believe that north is the direction of Earth.

Circular shaped Temple of Heaven is located to the South of Beijing. This temple symbolizes sky and heaven. To the East and West lie the temples of Sun and Moon respectively. These four temples are believed to interact in a spiritual manner. Temple of Earth has been listed by the Chinese government among the most important monuments to be preserved.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Beijing. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Temple of Earth on Map

Sight Name: Temple of Earth
Sight Location: Beijing, China (See walking tours in Beijing)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Beijing, China

Create Your Own Walk in Beijing

Create Your Own Walk in Beijing

Creating your own self-guided walk in Beijing is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Beijing City Center Walking Tour

Beijing City Center Walking Tour

A political, cultural, and economic center of China for the past eight centuries, Beijing is the newest of the country's Four Ancient Capitals.

The city boasts the grandest and best preserved imperial palaces, gardens and temples, including seven UNESCO World Heritage sites, such as the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Ming Tombs, Zhoukoudian, and parts of the Great Wall...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.7 Km or 2.3 Miles
Beijing's Historical Temples Tour I

Beijing's Historical Temples Tour I

Chinese temples are of unique beauty and have withstood many dynasties. However because the temples have always been connected to the imperial families, many of them were destroyed when the last dynasty ended in 1911. Nevertheless, a great number of beautiful temples with great history still stand in Beijing. Take this self-guided walking tour to discover a few famous temples in the northern part...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.9 Km or 0.6 Miles
Olympic Park Walking Tour

Olympic Park Walking Tour

The Olympic Park in Beijing was built for the Olympic and Paralympic Games of 2008. This modern complex represents a contemporary architectural approach as compared to the more traditional buildings that dominate the city. Among its signature items are the iconic Bird's Nest, otherwise known as the main Olympic stadium, and the beautiful Water Cube – the Aquatics Center for water sports.
...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.6 Km or 3.5 Miles
Beijing's Historical Temples Tour II

Beijing's Historical Temples Tour II

The places of worship are some of the best links to the city's history. The unique churches, Buddhist and Taoist Temples, and beautiful Muslim Mosques all tell great tales of the history of Beijing. Despite that many of them have been partially or completely destroyed over the years either by wars or by the changes of political power, a good number of them still remain. You can visit a few...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.1 Km or 1.3 Miles

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