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The Temple of Heaven (Tian Tan Complex) was a nice stroll into the past, similar to the Forbidden City. It was completed during the Ming dynasty and one of the largest temple complexes in China and a paradigm of Chinese architectural balance and symbolism. It was quite serene. We can see why walls were put up to protect the spiritual environment from the busy streets. Square and round shapes repeated in the layout of the park. Square means earth and round means heaven. There were plenty of locals in the park enjoying card games, dancing, and various other activities.
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Tian’an Men Guangchang is the Square of the Gate of Heavenly Peace. It’s a vast open concrete expanse at the heart of modern Beijing. Mao’s Mausoleum is at its focal point, bordered by communist style buildings and the gates of the Forbidden City. There’s always an electronic count down to the 2008 Olympics on one of the buildings. Chairman Mao’s portrait is on the Ming dynasty gate. He proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949.
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The Place is a mall not far from our hotel that has an enormous outdoor LED ceiling where they play video and audio animations. A really impressive display of technical advancement that I have never seen displayed at any mall or even stadiums.
Dinner at Raffles hotel was interesting. You never know what you are going to get, so dinner was a Chinese/Italian buffet. Plenty of variety.
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