Tourists in Beijing rarely failed to visit the Earth Altar and the Yonghegong lamasery, two renowned historical sites which date back from hundreds of years ago. Both easy-to-reach landmarks, they receive a large number of visitors each day. Follow us on this trail to unique sightseeing opportunities.
To get to the Earth Altar is quite easy. Simply take subway line #2, and get off at ANDINGMEN station. Exit through Exit A, and turn right onto the ANDINGMENWAI DAJIE. Take a look around. Here, the word traffic is synonymous with ¡®traffic jam¡¯: in the past decade the number of cars in Beijing streets has been soaring, and this phenomenon shows no sign of slowing. Your eyes will probably stop at the familiar faces of KFC and McDonald¡¯s, among an array of fast food restaurants.
Earth Altar: where Emperors Pray Affluence for His Subjects
Earth Altar Park Initially built in 1533 to serve as the place where emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties offered (non human) sacrifices to the ¡®Supreme Ruler of the Earth¡¯, the Altar played an important role in the country¡¯s political life then. It was erected as the counterpart of the Altar of Heaven (or Temple of Heaven) that lies in the southern part of the town. In ruins for many years, the altar was restored a few years ago, and now offers a lovely venue to the locals.
Just walk down the street 5 minutes: you will arrive at an ancient gate on your right, quite distinguishable from the surrounding high-rises. This is our first stop for the day.
The entrance fee is a couple of yuans. The park is quite tranquil and photogenic, with rows of Gingko Biloba trees. Its ancient walls have much charm.
Follow the road signs to visit, they are written in both Chinese and English. The park actually houses a series of ancient structures, the most prominent being, of course, the Earth Altar. The altar lies in a central axis; other auxiliary structures flank it. Each had its own functions. Zai Sheng Ting, for instance, was where the animals were slaughtered and prepared for the offerings. Zhai Gong, on the other hand, served as the residence of the emperor during the annual ceremony. It has been renovated, and transformed into a waxwork museum.
The most renowned Earth Altar or Fang Ze Tan is square. It was built to resemble the shape of the Earth as it was perceived in ancient china. It comprises two levels, and covers an area of about 2,000 square meters. Giant tripods served to burn incense, and offer the sacrificial animals. The altar is enclosed by stone gates and walls. The significant of Huang Qi Shi or the ¡°Earth God Worship House¡± is as important, though lesser known. It lies next to the Earth Altar. A place of rituals and worship, the hall was used by emperors to offer sacrifices to various lower-ranked gods: the gods of mountains, and the gods of seas. The atmosphere here is quite tranquil, and everything you see lends an air of greatness and sacredness to the place. You will shell out an additional RMB 5 to visit both sites. Other sites are free of charge.
Let¡¯s head now to the Yonghegong lamasery. Exit the park through its southern gate. Walk for 5 minutes to the YONGHEGONG Bridge and the 2nd ring road. You can see here the YONGHEGONG subway station where lines 2 and 5 cross. Get across the street to walk to YONGHEGONG DAJIE (Yonghegong St). Look around: your eyes will catch the beautiful red wall which surrounds the temple. Renovated on a regular basis, they are still in good condition today. Stroll on for 5 minutes, and you will reach the temple entrance. Along the way, you are likely to run into stalls selling various types of incenses. Most of them sell for less than RMB 10, a little cheaper than inside the temple. In the Buddhist religion, people burn incenses while they pray.
The entrance fee to the lamasery is RMB 25.
Yonghegong Lamasery
Under Buddha's Gaze... Built in 1649 in the early Qing Dynasty, the Yonghegong Lamasery first served as the residence of then-prince Yin Zhen, the fourth son of Emperor Kang Xi. Yin Zhen later succeeded Kang Xi on the imperial throne, and moved into the Forbidden City. In 1744, he converted his former residence to a lamasery, as part of an overall plan to help govern the religious policy of Tibet and Mongolia, two geographically important regions of China.
One of the westmost ethnic groups in China, the Tibetans have their own religion--Tibetan Buddhism--a Buddhist branch which arrived from India around the late eighth century. Buddhist monks practice Tibetan Buddhism daily at a lamasery, like this one in the capital. A Buddhist spiritual leader is usually called a Dalai Lama. Since becoming a lamasery, YongHegong Lamasery has housed several Dalai Lamas.
As one of the most important lamaseries in China for centuries, the Yonghegong lamasery not only serves as a temple, but also as a conduit for the central government to govern Tibet. Even today, it serves as an ¡°embassy¡± between the central government and the Tibetan Buddhist community.
The layout of the temple is similar to that of the Forbidden City¡ªthe main halls align along a central axis, with side buildings flanking them. The main structure features 5 main halls: the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Hall of Harmony and Peace, the Hall of Everlasting Protection, the Hall of the Wheel of Law, and the Pavilion of Infinite Happiness. In addition to various Buddha statues decorating each of the halls, the temple also houses a sea of Buddhist treasure: sutras, wheels of law, tangkas, and many more.
Stroll around the temple at your leisure. Make sure you do not miss the giant 18 meter Buddha statue in the Pavilion of Infinite Happiness before you leave. The statue was carved out of a single piece of sandalwood! And yes, it¡¯s in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Should you wish to offer a prayer to Lord Buddha, there are various methods. The simplest is to kneel down in front of the statue, lower your head, close your eyes, and make an earnest request. Other people might proceed differently. Never mind, the most important thing is to be sincere. If you bought some incense, you can light several sticks before praying.
Of course, no tourist destination is complete without souvenirs shops. And the YongHe Lamasery harbors several of them for your gift and souvenir needs. They carry beautiful handicrafts, gifts, and accessories from the Tibetan region¡ª¡®the roof of the world¡¯, and ¡®the land of Yat and Yeti¡¯. Prices are reasonable, especially for a touristic hallmark.
How to Return
When you are finished, simply exit the temple at the front gate (southern gate). Here you may either walk southward for 5 minutes to get to the BEIXINQIAO station on subway line #5, or simply walk northward to return to the YONGHEGONG station, on subway line #2. |
