The Temple of Heaven was used by the Emperor at the time of the winter solstice to perform rites and make sacrifices to the cosmos on behalf of China. The round building is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, where the ancient rites were conducted. The light-colored area between the double set of stairs that lead up to the Hall of Prayer contains the sculptures seen in the next picture.
The intricately carved sculpture seen here is part of several that occur between the double sets of stairs that lead up to the Hall of Prayer.
Close-up of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. All parts of the building were carefully fit and snapped into place without nails or cross beams. After an 1889 fire, the present building was reconstructed with tall timbers from Oregon.
A courtyard just inside the gate at the Yong He Lamasery, a temple in Beijing that is an active site of Tibetan Buddhism.
A large temple bell (on left) in the courtyard of the Yong He Lamasery. For a small fee, visitors can ring the bell using the log that Sue is about to bang into the bell. We both took great pleasure in ringing the bell.
The last (fifth) of the central halls at the back of the Yong He Lamasery. It seems to be three stories tall, but inside it is all one room that contains a 75-foot-tall Buddha carved from a single Tibetan sandalwood tree. The Buddha looks out of the windows at the level of the third floor.
Beihai Park, just northwest of the Imperial Palace, contains Beijing's largest lake, Beihai Lake. In the middle of the lake is Qionghua Isle, seen here across the wider north side of the lake. At the top of the island is the White Dagoba that was built in 1651 to commemorate a visit to Beijing by the Dalai Lama.
Bridge on the south side of Beihai Lake. The bridge leads to Qionghua Isle and a long set of stairs to the White Dagoba at the crest of the island.
Sue relaxes on the back of the boat that we rode across Beihai Lake.
Most tours to the Great Wall, which is a couple of hours by bus northwest of Beijing, include a stop at the Ming Tombs, where 13 of the 16 Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644) Emperors are buried. Shown here is the exit from the underground burial vault of Ding Ling, the 13th Emperor, who died in 1620.
Gene standing on the Great Wall at the Badaling site. Unfortunately it was a foggy day. We walked along the Great Wall from where Gene is standing to the far distant part of the ridge in the background.
Sue standing on the Great Wall at a point somewhere on the ridge shown in the previous picture.
The intricately carved sculpture seen here is part of several that occur between the double sets of stairs that lead up to the Hall of Prayer.
Close-up of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. All parts of the building were carefully fit and snapped into place without nails or cross beams. After an 1889 fire, the present building was reconstructed with tall timbers from Oregon.
A courtyard just inside the gate at the Yong He Lamasery, a temple in Beijing that is an active site of Tibetan Buddhism.
A large temple bell (on left) in the courtyard of the Yong He Lamasery. For a small fee, visitors can ring the bell using the log that Sue is about to bang into the bell. We both took great pleasure in ringing the bell.
The last (fifth) of the central halls at the back of the Yong He Lamasery. It seems to be three stories tall, but inside it is all one room that contains a 75-foot-tall Buddha carved from a single Tibetan sandalwood tree. The Buddha looks out of the windows at the level of the third floor.
Beihai Park, just northwest of the Imperial Palace, contains Beijing's largest lake, Beihai Lake. In the middle of the lake is Qionghua Isle, seen here across the wider north side of the lake. At the top of the island is the White Dagoba that was built in 1651 to commemorate a visit to Beijing by the Dalai Lama.
Bridge on the south side of Beihai Lake. The bridge leads to Qionghua Isle and a long set of stairs to the White Dagoba at the crest of the island.
Sue relaxes on the back of the boat that we rode across Beihai Lake.
Most tours to the Great Wall, which is a couple of hours by bus northwest of Beijing, include a stop at the Ming Tombs, where 13 of the 16 Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644) Emperors are buried. Shown here is the exit from the underground burial vault of Ding Ling, the 13th Emperor, who died in 1620.
Gene standing on the Great Wall at the Badaling site. Unfortunately it was a foggy day. We walked along the Great Wall from where Gene is standing to the far distant part of the ridge in the background.
Sue standing on the Great Wall at a point somewhere on the ridge shown in the previous picture.
Close-up of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. All parts of the building were carefully fit and snapped into place without nails or cross beams. After an 1889 fire, the present building was reconstructed with tall timbers from Oregon.
A courtyard just inside the gate at the Yong He Lamasery, a temple in Beijing that is an active site of Tibetan Buddhism.
A large temple bell (on left) in the courtyard of the Yong He Lamasery. For a small fee, visitors can ring the bell using the log that Sue is about to bang into the bell. We both took great pleasure in ringing the bell.
The last (fifth) of the central halls at the back of the Yong He Lamasery. It seems to be three stories tall, but inside it is all one room that contains a 75-foot-tall Buddha carved from a single Tibetan sandalwood tree. The Buddha looks out of the windows at the level of the third floor.
Beihai Park, just northwest of the Imperial Palace, contains Beijing's largest lake, Beihai Lake. In the middle of the lake is Qionghua Isle, seen here across the wider north side of the lake. At the top of the island is the White Dagoba that was built in 1651 to commemorate a visit to Beijing by the Dalai Lama.
Bridge on the south side of Beihai Lake. The bridge leads to Qionghua Isle and a long set of stairs to the White Dagoba at the crest of the island.
Sue relaxes on the back of the boat that we rode across Beihai Lake.
Most tours to the Great Wall, which is a couple of hours by bus northwest of Beijing, include a stop at the Ming Tombs, where 13 of the 16 Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644) Emperors are buried. Shown here is the exit from the underground burial vault of Ding Ling, the 13th Emperor, who died in 1620.
Gene standing on the Great Wall at the Badaling site. Unfortunately it was a foggy day. We walked along the Great Wall from where Gene is standing to the far distant part of the ridge in the background.
Sue standing on the Great Wall at a point somewhere on the ridge shown in the previous picture.
A courtyard just inside the gate at the Yong He Lamasery, a temple in Beijing that is an active site of Tibetan Buddhism.
A large temple bell (on left) in the courtyard of the Yong He Lamasery. For a small fee, visitors can ring the bell using the log that Sue is about to bang into the bell. We both took great pleasure in ringing the bell.
The last (fifth) of the central halls at the back of the Yong He Lamasery. It seems to be three stories tall, but inside it is all one room that contains a 75-foot-tall Buddha carved from a single Tibetan sandalwood tree. The Buddha looks out of the windows at the level of the third floor.
Beihai Park, just northwest of the Imperial Palace, contains Beijing's largest lake, Beihai Lake. In the middle of the lake is Qionghua Isle, seen here across the wider north side of the lake. At the top of the island is the White Dagoba that was built in 1651 to commemorate a visit to Beijing by the Dalai Lama.
Bridge on the south side of Beihai Lake. The bridge leads to Qionghua Isle and a long set of stairs to the White Dagoba at the crest of the island.
Sue relaxes on the back of the boat that we rode across Beihai Lake.
Most tours to the Great Wall, which is a couple of hours by bus northwest of Beijing, include a stop at the Ming Tombs, where 13 of the 16 Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644) Emperors are buried. Shown here is the exit from the underground burial vault of Ding Ling, the 13th Emperor, who died in 1620.
Gene standing on the Great Wall at the Badaling site. Unfortunately it was a foggy day. We walked along the Great Wall from where Gene is standing to the far distant part of the ridge in the background.
Sue standing on the Great Wall at a point somewhere on the ridge shown in the previous picture.
A large temple bell (on left) in the courtyard of the Yong He Lamasery. For a small fee, visitors can ring the bell using the log that Sue is about to bang into the bell. We both took great pleasure in ringing the bell.
The last (fifth) of the central halls at the back of the Yong He Lamasery. It seems to be three stories tall, but inside it is all one room that contains a 75-foot-tall Buddha carved from a single Tibetan sandalwood tree. The Buddha looks out of the windows at the level of the third floor.
Beihai Park, just northwest of the Imperial Palace, contains Beijing's largest lake, Beihai Lake. In the middle of the lake is Qionghua Isle, seen here across the wider north side of the lake. At the top of the island is the White Dagoba that was built in 1651 to commemorate a visit to Beijing by the Dalai Lama.
Bridge on the south side of Beihai Lake. The bridge leads to Qionghua Isle and a long set of stairs to the White Dagoba at the crest of the island.
Sue relaxes on the back of the boat that we rode across Beihai Lake.
Most tours to the Great Wall, which is a couple of hours by bus northwest of Beijing, include a stop at the Ming Tombs, where 13 of the 16 Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644) Emperors are buried. Shown here is the exit from the underground burial vault of Ding Ling, the 13th Emperor, who died in 1620.
Gene standing on the Great Wall at the Badaling site. Unfortunately it was a foggy day. We walked along the Great Wall from where Gene is standing to the far distant part of the ridge in the background.
Sue standing on the Great Wall at a point somewhere on the ridge shown in the previous picture.
The last (fifth) of the central halls at the back of the Yong He Lamasery. It seems to be three stories tall, but inside it is all one room that contains a 75-foot-tall Buddha carved from a single Tibetan sandalwood tree. The Buddha looks out of the windows at the level of the third floor.
Beihai Park, just northwest of the Imperial Palace, contains Beijing's largest lake, Beihai Lake. In the middle of the lake is Qionghua Isle, seen here across the wider north side of the lake. At the top of the island is the White Dagoba that was built in 1651 to commemorate a visit to Beijing by the Dalai Lama.
Bridge on the south side of Beihai Lake. The bridge leads to Qionghua Isle and a long set of stairs to the White Dagoba at the crest of the island.
Sue relaxes on the back of the boat that we rode across Beihai Lake.
Most tours to the Great Wall, which is a couple of hours by bus northwest of Beijing, include a stop at the Ming Tombs, where 13 of the 16 Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644) Emperors are buried. Shown here is the exit from the underground burial vault of Ding Ling, the 13th Emperor, who died in 1620.
Gene standing on the Great Wall at the Badaling site. Unfortunately it was a foggy day. We walked along the Great Wall from where Gene is standing to the far distant part of the ridge in the background.
Sue standing on the Great Wall at a point somewhere on the ridge shown in the previous picture.
Beihai Park, just northwest of the Imperial Palace, contains Beijing's largest lake, Beihai Lake. In the middle of the lake is Qionghua Isle, seen here across the wider north side of the lake. At the top of the island is the White Dagoba that was built in 1651 to commemorate a visit to Beijing by the Dalai Lama.
Bridge on the south side of Beihai Lake. The bridge leads to Qionghua Isle and a long set of stairs to the White Dagoba at the crest of the island.
Sue relaxes on the back of the boat that we rode across Beihai Lake.
Most tours to the Great Wall, which is a couple of hours by bus northwest of Beijing, include a stop at the Ming Tombs, where 13 of the 16 Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644) Emperors are buried. Shown here is the exit from the underground burial vault of Ding Ling, the 13th Emperor, who died in 1620.
Gene standing on the Great Wall at the Badaling site. Unfortunately it was a foggy day. We walked along the Great Wall from where Gene is standing to the far distant part of the ridge in the background.
Sue standing on the Great Wall at a point somewhere on the ridge shown in the previous picture.
Bridge on the south side of Beihai Lake. The bridge leads to Qionghua Isle and a long set of stairs to the White Dagoba at the crest of the island.
Sue relaxes on the back of the boat that we rode across Beihai Lake.
Most tours to the Great Wall, which is a couple of hours by bus northwest of Beijing, include a stop at the Ming Tombs, where 13 of the 16 Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644) Emperors are buried. Shown here is the exit from the underground burial vault of Ding Ling, the 13th Emperor, who died in 1620.
Gene standing on the Great Wall at the Badaling site. Unfortunately it was a foggy day. We walked along the Great Wall from where Gene is standing to the far distant part of the ridge in the background.
Sue standing on the Great Wall at a point somewhere on the ridge shown in the previous picture.
Sue relaxes on the back of the boat that we rode across Beihai Lake.
Most tours to the Great Wall, which is a couple of hours by bus northwest of Beijing, include a stop at the Ming Tombs, where 13 of the 16 Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644) Emperors are buried. Shown here is the exit from the underground burial vault of Ding Ling, the 13th Emperor, who died in 1620.
Gene standing on the Great Wall at the Badaling site. Unfortunately it was a foggy day. We walked along the Great Wall from where Gene is standing to the far distant part of the ridge in the background.
Sue standing on the Great Wall at a point somewhere on the ridge shown in the previous picture.
Most tours to the Great Wall, which is a couple of hours by bus northwest of Beijing, include a stop at the Ming Tombs, where 13 of the 16 Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644) Emperors are buried. Shown here is the exit from the underground burial vault of Ding Ling, the 13th Emperor, who died in 1620.
Gene standing on the Great Wall at the Badaling site. Unfortunately it was a foggy day. We walked along the Great Wall from where Gene is standing to the far distant part of the ridge in the background.
Sue standing on the Great Wall at a point somewhere on the ridge shown in the previous picture.
Gene standing on the Great Wall at the Badaling site. Unfortunately it was a foggy day. We walked along the Great Wall from where Gene is standing to the far distant part of the ridge in the background.
Sue standing on the Great Wall at a point somewhere on the ridge shown in the previous picture.