{Part VI of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China}

The team's next visit in Beijing, all done on March 25, 1987... on a very loaded schedule beside visiting the Institute of Microbiology, is the Temple of Heaven.

Such an incredible structure and a MUST SEE if ever in Beijing!

This is from a post card... Wish Pieter had been there at the time of these blossoms!
What a dream...

This is the World Heritage Site of Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing ←(just click on link) founded in the first half of the 15th century.
Notice the tiny toddler in the picture?

Husband Pieter went over for a better look through his lens.

This photo from china-tour.cn shows to the right of the Circular Mound Altar the Divine Kitchen and Pavillion for Butchering Animals...
Sacrificial Altar indeed!
For viewing a short 2.50 minute video from Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in ... (UNESCO/NHK) just click the hyperlink. That gives you a pretty good idea about this complex.
Be aware that Temple of Heaven Park is the largest park in Beijing; covering 675 acres!

Slide, showing the marble steps and carving around the Imperial Sacrificial Altar look impressive.

This is a scanned photo, as the slide did not show the entire height...
One can see the steps next to the marble imperial carriage way.

The entire structure of Temple of Heaven is done without nails and look at the elaborate details on the ceiling!

This elderly man with a cane is struggling on the stairs.

Indeed, it is HUGE with the size of 675 acres.
If you want to see more of it, for getting an impression, this is a very good short video:
Temple of Heaven - Beijing, China (Full HD) just click.

Hope you enjoyed Part VI.

Will be continued with the Lama Temple in Beijing, China.

Related links:

{Part V of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Forbidden City in Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part IV of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - City Views of Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part III of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Arrival in Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part II of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Tokyo, Japan to Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part I of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia} | previous post by me

{People to People Citizen Ambassador Program - Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia} | previous post by me

{The Hardest Working SEVEN-Letter Word... "SUCCESS" - Achieve it}

As we are adding up letters, we have now come to: The Hardest Working SEVEN-Letter Word... "SUCCESS" - Achieve it.

That indeed requires hard work and perseverance for achieving SUCCESS in whatever endeavor.

Let's cling to it, just like this Angel is doing here to the silver charm S.

A nice addition to a handbag around a silver keychain or as a charm on a necklace.

Sorry Sold Out...

Giovanni Raspini 925/1000 silver Alphabet letter 'S' is available for only USD 33.25 and free shipping within the USA!

There are also other silver alphabet angels available at Spectrenoir ← just click.

Related links:

{The Most Selfish ONE-Letter Word... "I" - Avoid it} | previous post by me

{The Most Satisfying TWO-Letter Word... "WE" - Use it} | previous post by me

{The Most Poisonous THREE-Letter Word... "EGO" - Overcome it} | previous post by me

{The Most Used FOUR-Letter Word... "LOVE" - Value it} | previous post by me

{The Most Pleasing FIVE-Letter Word... "SMILE" - Keep it} | previous post by me

{The Most Spreading SIX-Letter Word... "RUMOR" - Ignore it} | previous post by me

{Part V of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Forbidden City in Beijing, China}

As already mentioned in my last post, now I want to show some photos from The Forbidden City in Beijing, China.
Pieter reached it from across the Tiananmen Square...

In response to some comments; NO I did not travel with Pieter!

This is husband Pieter at one of the entrance gates, next to the gilded lion guard with his ears perked up.
We have lost several of our slides, while moving, so I will continue with showing you one over view from Photopin, see below.

Photo credit:

Forbidden City, Beijing via photopin (license) The Forbidden City got declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, the very year that husband Pieter did visit. It is HUGE and would take days I guess, for seeing it all. Build in the 15th Century, it is an incredible complex of over 900 buildings on a piece of 72 ha (180 acres). Just click the link above for more info.

Millions of visitors enter through its gate every year and Pieter was one of them on March 25, 1987. Pieter wrote in his diary (which he managed to write only during the first 7 days...) that it is impossible to put into words how enormous this palace complex from the Chinese Emperors is. They must have been big Ego-trippers for having something like that built for them!  The sharp contrast with the country side makes one feel guilty even now.

 The Daily Mail published the above info: Revealed: How 15th century workers used ICY roads to haul 100-tonne stones to buildChina's Forbidden City  just click on link. Incredible that they moved that much stone over a distance of 43 miles!

HUGE doors with 9 rows of 9 brass knobs and a lion head.

Decoding the Mystery of 'Nine' click the link for reading more about this use of nine, particularly for imperial buildings.  The number of gilded doornails on all major gates at the Forbidden City and imperial gardens are good examples of the nine phenomena. Each door, which is adorned with nine doornails, both vertically and horizontally (81 nails in total), represents the supreme power of the emperor.  Red is a sign of wealth... By the way, the figure 720,000 square kilometers should be square meters!

Pieter always loved to photograph people...

Guess back in 1987 not many foreign tourists would visit Beijing's places of interest.

Incredible art work those gilded bronze lion guards at the Gate of Heavenly Purity

This is a lioness with a cub under her left paw.

Notice also that she has her ears down... 

This cutie is about to wave goodbye for now...

Do you see the brass door knobs behind the child?

For a short and very informative video, just click here: Forbidden City, Beijing, China in HD
Pieter did travel thousands of kilometers within China but one should realize that it is such a VAST country!

United States is around the same size as China. ~ Will be continued with The Temple of Heaven...

Related links:
{Part IV of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - City Views of Beijing} | previous post by me

{Part III of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Arrival in Beijing, China} | previous post by me
{Part II of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia - Tokyo, Japan to Beijing, China} | previous post by me

{Part I of Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia} | previous post by me

{People to People Citizen Ambassador Program - Husband Pieter's Trip to East Asia} | previous post by me