TothewestistheHallofAbstinencewheretheemperorsfastedaftermakingsacrifice.Thewholeparkissurroundedbyadouble-walled,pine-treedenclosure.BetweentheinnerandouterwallstothewestaretheDivineMusicAdministrationHallandthebuildingthatwastheStablesforSacrificialAnimals.
Withinthecomplexthereareatotalof92ancientbuildingswith600rooms.ItisthemostcompleteexistingimperialsacrificialbuildingcomplexinChinaandtheworld鈥檚largestexistingbuildingcomplexforofferingsacrificestoheaven.
LocatedsouthoftheForbiddenCity,theoriginalAltarofHeavenandEarthwascompletedtogetherwiththeForbiddenCityin1420.In1530,thedecisionwastakentoofferseparatesacrificestoheavenandearth,andsotheCircularMoundAltarwasbuilttothesouthofthemainhallforsacrificesparticularlytoheaven.TheAltarofHeavenandEarthwastherebyrenamedtheTempleofHeaven.
Thesiting,planning,andarchitecturaldesignoftheTempleofHeavenaswellasthesacrificialceremonyandassociatedmusic,werebasedonancienttenetsrelatingnumbersandspatialorganizationtobeliefsaboutheavenanditsrelationshiptopeopleonearth,mediatedbytheemperorasthe鈥淪onofHeaven.鈥漇imilaraltarsfortheworshipofheavenwerealsobuiltinotherdynasties,buttheTempleofHeaveninBeijingisamasterpieceofancientChinesecultureandisthemostrepresentativeworkofnumeroussacrificialbuildingsinChina.
TIPS
*Itusuallytakes3-4hourstovisitthewholepark.
*AnelectronictourguideisavailableinEnglish,French,German,Spanish,JapaneseandKorean.
INFO
*ListedasaWorldCulturalHeritagein1998
*Location:Beijing
*BestTimetoVisit:Anytime
PekingManSiteatZhoukoudianPekingManXINHUAPekingManSiteatZhoukoudianisaPleistocenehominidsiteontheNorthChinaPlain.Itliesabout42kmsouthwestofBeijingandisatthejunctureoftheNorthChinaPlainandtheYanshanMountains.Adequatewatersuppliesandnaturallimestonecavesinthisareaprovidedanoptimalsurvivalenvironmentforearlyhumans.
Scientificworkatthesiteisstillunderway.Sofar,ancienthumanfossils,culturalremainsandanimalfossilsfrom23localitieswithinthesitedatingfrom5millionyearsagoto10,000yearsagohavebeendiscoveredbyscientists.TheseincludetheremainsofHomoerectuspekinensis,wholivedintheMiddlePleistocene(700,000to200,000yearsago),archaicHomosapiensofabout200,000-100,000yearsagoandHomosapienssapiensdatingbackto30,000yearsago.Atthesametime,fossilsofhundredsofanimalspecies,over100,000piecesofstonetoolsandevidence(includinghearths,ashdepositsandburntbones)ofPekingManusingfirehavebeendiscovered.
ThediscoveryofhominidremainsatZhoukoudianandsubsequentresearchinthe1920sand1930sexciteduniversalinterest,overthrowingthechronologyofhumanhistorythathadbeengenerallyaccepteduptothattime.TheexcavationsandscientificworkattheZhou顱koudiansitearethusofsignificantvalueinthehistoryofworldarchaeology,andhaveplayedanimportantroleintheworldhistoryofscience.
AsthesiteofsignificanthominidremainsdiscoveredintheAsiancontinentdemonstratinganevolutionaryculturalsequence,Zhoukoudianisofmajorimportancewithintheworldwidecontext.ItisnotonlyanexceptionalreminderoftheprehistorichumansocietiesoftheAsiancontinent,butalsoillustratestheprocessofhumanevolution,andisofsignificantvalueintheresearchandreconstructionofearlyhumanhistory.
INFOListedasaWorldCulturalHeritagein1987Location:FangshanDistrict,BeijingBestTimetoVisit:Springandautumn
TipsItisasiteofscientificvalueforthosewithacuriousmindtovisit.Don鈥檛missthemuseumatthesite,whereexcavatedfossilsandrelicsarekept.