Beijing Trip - Day4

Zheng Yang Men @ Front Gate
This building is the tallest gates in Beijing.
It is so special that this gate was formerly used as
front gate to enter the Imperial Palace.
It was built in 1914, consisted of a gatehouse and an archery tower,
which forms a large barbican.
Today, this gate has been used as China National Feng Shui Museum.
All the buildings in Beijing are not allowed to be taller than
Zhang Yang Men (42 metres) because it is believed
that it will ruin the city's Feng Shui ...

Temple of Heaven - Tiāntán
The complex was visited by the Emperors of
the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer
to Heaven for good harvest.
The Temple of Heaven was constructed in 1406 to 1420
during the reign of the Yong Le Emperor,
who was responsible for the building of Forbidden City.
The Temple grounds covers 2.73 km² of parkland,
and comprises three main groups of constructions,
all built according to strict philosophical requirements;
Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (祈年殿),
Imperial Vault of Heaven (皇穹宇) and
Earthly Mount (圜丘坛).

Behind: The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (祈年殿)
is a magnificent triple-gabled circular building,
32 metres in diameter and 38 metres tall,
built on three levels of marble stone base,
where the Emperor prayed for good harvests.
The building is completely wooden, with no nails.

A panoramal view of Temple of Heaven Complex.

"Don't let me go or else I will fall" ... Haha :)

Along the park in Temple of Heaven complex.
What a serene scenery!
Peace, tranquil, beautiful, cool and relaxing.

Taichi with Ball
Tai Chi was originally formulated by the
Taoist monk Zhang Sanfeng in the 12th century.
Learning Tai Chi is an added advantage because studies
has shown that it is enable
to reduce pain, stress and anxiety in healthy subjects.

Beside practicing Tai Chi, "Jwu Chiu" is
common among men and women.
The way of playing this game is very much similar
to our "sepak takraw" except most of the time,
it is played in a circle.
Can you spot the "bulu tangkis"?
Look carefully (",)

Our next stop after lunch was Beijing Underground City. Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed to be taken inside the Underground City as part of the rules and regulations of the authority to preserve its originality. A brief description about this place;

Beijing built an extensive tunnel network as ordered by President Moa Zhe Dong in 1969 during the Sino-Soviet conflict, falling into disuse in the 1970s. Now recently opened to the public and tourists. There are rumors saying it was used by the army during the Tian Ann Men incident. It is an underground complex similar on ground which connects to all the places in the city such as Tian Ann Men, Great Wall of China, Forbidden City, Nanjing and Tianjin. Some even said the underground city is so huge that it can lead to outside China. Believe it or not? The complex covers an area of 85 sq km with a thousand anti-air raid structures. It is now claimed to have ninety entrances to modified shops, theaters, roller skating rinks, hotels, restaurants, schools reading rooms, factories, warehouse (even mushroom cultivation units and barber shops). The temperature is at a constant 27 degree Celcius. It is mentioned that Mao and other leaders had a separate passage way to take them out of the city in the event of an attack on Beijing. Another amazing man-made structure ...

After the visit of Beijing Underground City,
we went to Cheng De, a small district outside of Beijing City.
The ride took us about 4hours.
It was a long way, but it was full of excitement
and memorable experience.
More to come from me in Cheng De.