Ritan Park

Observing the time and telling the time of the spring equinox



The Sun Temple, also known as the Chaori Temple, was first built in the ninth year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty. It was the altar where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped the sun every year on the spring equinox. There are burning stoves and burial pools in the west, and god treasuries, god kitchens, animal slaughter pavilions, bell towers and other buildings in the north.



The Tianfu Guangji records that the sacrifices were made with Tailao, three jade offerings, seven musical instruments, and eight dances. In the years of Jia, Bing, Xu, and Ren, the emperor personally offered sacrifices. The Sun Temple is in the east and the Moon is in the west.



The Sun Altar is one of the five famous cultural relics and historic sites, namely the Temple of Heaven, the Temple of Earth, the Sun Altar, the Moon Altar and the Altar of Agriculture. The five altars were designed and built in ancient times according to the theory of Zhouyi, reflecting the relationship between heaven, earth, sun, moon and man.



In the 1950s, the Temple of the Sun was turned into a park, covering an area of ​​20.62 hectares.

In the early 1970s, a large mountain cherry tree was planted to symbolize the friendship between China and Japan.

In the 1980s, large-scale scenic spots such as "Sacrificial Day Mural" and "Quchi Shengchun" were built.

It was rated as a national cultural relic protection unit in 2006 and is one of the first boutique parks in Beijing. In the northwest corner of the park is the tomb of Martyr Ma Jun and the memorial room.

In 2001, it was rated as Beijing's patriotism education base

I was on a business trip to Beijing in early spring in March. I happened to stay opposite the famous ancient monument [Five Altars], the Sun Altar. I walked in early in the morning and enjoyed the early spring and red walls. The Sun Altar was originally a place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped the god of the Ming Dynasty, the sun god, every year during the spring equinox. It is also called the Chaori Altar. Its main building is the altar, which faces the sky and has nine steps on each side. There are circular brick walls around the altar. The main gate of the low wall faces west, with three gates and six columns; there is one gate and two columns on each of the south, east and east sides. The ground is paved with refined blue bricks, and the walls are covered with fired glazed tiles and eaves, and painted with red ash. Entering the interior of the altar wall, the view is extremely transparent and you can feel the grand occasion of the year. The exterior is surrounded by lush pines and cypresses. Strolling through the West and North Heavenly Gates, the God's Storehouse and God's Kitchen, the Slaughterhouse Pavilion, the Clothing Hall, the Festival Wall Painting, the Quchi Shengchun, the Yuxin Garden, the Peony Garden and other scenic spots, with the China World Trade Center and CBD high-rise buildings as the backdrop, you will feel like "watching the sunrise in the clear sky".

Near the World Trade Center, it was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped the sun. Now it is a park, and the place is not big. It is not recommended to drive there by yourself, and the parking fee is quite high. You can take the bus to Ritan Road or Ritan Park. The central building altar faces west, surrounded by a circular wall, with classic Lingxing Gates on all four sides, as well as supporting ground buildings such as the God's Kitchen, God's Storehouse, Slaughter Pavilion, Jufu Hall and Bell Tower. It was originally the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped the "Sun", the god of the Ming Dynasty. After the founding of New China, the Beijing Municipal People's Government decided to expand the Ritan and open it into a park.

Walking around the altar in circles, with no end in sight. Isn't this the best time?

Chaoyang Scenic Spots: Compared with the Temple of Heaven, which I visited frequently in my childhood, and the Temple of Earth, which I visited frequently because of the "book fair", the Temple of the Sun, located in a prosperous place with a golden inch of land, is a place that I, who call myself a seventh-generation Beijing resident, have never visited. This place is covered with lush grass, surrounded by embassies, and in the distance, the CBD is built with huge buildings leaning against the sky, dazzling and dazzling, which makes the closed-door, lonely Chaoyang Temple pale in comparison. It is no longer as grand as the national festival on the spring equinox in the past, which is a pity.

A great place to view autumn leaves in the imperial capital, but unfortunately the altar in the middle has never been open despite the many times I’ve been there.

It is close to Chaoyang Gate of the East Second Ring Road. The west gate of Ritan Park is just past Yabao Road. The park is not big and is suitable for a morning stroll.

Ritan Park is located in the city center, surrounded by the embassy district. There are mountains and water inside the park, which is a suitable place for walking and playing in the city.

Ritan Park is located in the southeast of Chaoyangmenwai, Beijing. It is a national 3A tourist attraction and a national cultural relic protection unit. Ritan Park is open to the public free of charge. It was originally a place where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped the god of the Ming Dynasty, the "Sun". After the founding of New China, the Beijing Municipal People's Government designated Ritan as a park and continued to build it into its current appearance over the past few decades, providing a place for Beijing citizens to cool off and relax.

A not-so-big park, full of life, with hills, lakes, and various plants. It's nice to take a walk on the weekend.

Ritan Park is free and pretty good. The park is neither too big nor too small. I went there for rock climbing last time and took a walk around. It's actually worth a visit.

In early April, Beijing was full of flowers. Any photo taken in Ritan Park was as colorful as an oil painting. After living in Guangdong for 20 years, where it was summer except for two months of winter, this was the first time I saw real "spring"! I could take hundreds of photos when I visited a free park! The photos taken with my phone looked good at the time, but they were no longer good when I put them on a larger screen~ I'll bring a camera next time to take photos of flowers~ I give -100 points to the lake in Ritan Park, the water looked really dirty! I want to see more flowers next spring~

The scenery is pretty good. Walk straight 200 meters from the south gate and you will see a small wooden house next to you. It looks like a mysterious house in the forest, but the door is full of flowers and plants. It is a coffee house. The tea is also great. It can be regarded as a scene in the park.

Then we went back home. Since there was Ritan Park behind the hotel, we went there. Ritan Park is free and no tickets are required. Of course, there is nothing special in it. It is just a park, just like an ordinary park. This is where the emperor once worshipped the sun. There are no magnificent buildings like the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Echo Wall in it, like the Temple of Heaven. If time permits, you can choose to come in and take a look.

A very contradictory review. For a free park, this is definitely a five-star review. There are mountains, water, amusement facilities, not many people, and it is close to foreign embassies and consulates. Very comfortable. But this is the Sun Temple, the Sun Temple inside the Heaven and Earth Sun and Moon Temple. Compared with the other temples, this one is really not interesting. Maybe because of the free ticket, all the ancient buildings inside are not open, and you can only see them through the wall. So it depends on why you come. You can feel the surprise when you come to visit the park, but you don’t need to come to see the Sun Temple specifically.

It's a small park where the emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped the sun! I stopped by to buy medicine at the Institute of Children's Research, and no tickets are required!

Ritan Park is now a public free park. It does not cover a large area. The eastern area has been developed into a fitness area. There is also a large area for children's playgrounds, naughty castles and indoor children's facilities. You can also fish for goldfish by the pond. I saw someone fishing a basin of small goldfish. Ritan is most beautiful in autumn, when the ginkgo leaves turn yellow and fall to the ground. It is very beautiful! There is also a yoga studio in the park. It is said that the owner is a foreigner. The floor-to-ceiling glass windows let in sunlight. It is quite pleasant to do yoga while listening to music! There are not many parking spaces around.

I took my child to the Children's Research Institute for medical treatment. I also visited the Ritan Park opposite. The park is not big, but there are many ancient trees. There is a sycamore tree on the north side of the park that is particularly lush. The Jiulong cypress next to the Sun Festival Altar is also more than 1,100 years old. I couldn't see far even if I climbed the hill in the park, because it was all blocked by tall ancient trees. There is a public fitness venue on the east side of the park, and a relatively deserted children's playground, where many amusement equipment is out of service. There are also some historical sites in the park, but they are all fenced off and cannot be seen. In some small open spaces in the woods on the west side of the park, many residents can be seen dancing and singing. Sitting on a bench in the park under the setting sun, closing your eyes and listening to the rustling sound of the leaves in the wind is particularly romantic. I think this place is really suitable for relaxing, and the park is relatively quiet. Although the park is open for free, the parking fee is still quite expensive. The surrounding parking lots are basically 2 yuan for 15 minutes.

I was stunned when I first came in. A sense of happiness came over me. Everyone was so relaxed and happy. In fact, this place belongs to the elderly, not tourists. The park is free and not very large, suitable for weekend strolls, relaxing dates, etc. There is an outdoor rock climbing that is not bad, 30 per time, 70 unlimited times, many good children can climb to the top. There are also some small entertainment projects.

There is a street outside the east gate, facing the nearby embassy district, where various foreign delicacies are gathered.

It's still quite big, so you can go there to exercise in the morning. There are a lot of trees inside, is it a natural oxygen bar? Haha

It's an ordinary park, nothing special, so it's free. It's suitable for nearby residents to take a walk.

A piece of pure land in the bustling city. Outside are high-rise buildings, reinforced concrete, but inside is full of greenery, cozy and comfortable. The grandparents nearby take the children to exercise and play. It is a good place to rest.

The Ditan Park charges a two-yuan ticket, but the Sun Temple does not charge a two-yuan ticket. However, the environment is much worse than that of the Ditan Park.

Along Guanghua Road, you will reach the east gate of Ritan Park. The park is free. There are many visitors on Saturdays, mostly nearby residents with their elderly and children. Although the waterscape area in the west area is not big, it is still very eye-catching. There are stone boats, weeping willows, and reflections. Several major attractions, such as the West Gate of Heaven, the Jufu Hall, murals, and the circular ancient altar, are under maintenance, and the gates are closed or fenced. The climbing wall is very popular with children and exercises their willpower.

The first stop in Beijing is Ritan Park. Ritan Park is free and very close to the hotel, within walking distance. We entered from the south gate and exited from the north gate. The south gate is located on Guanghua Road, 500 meters walk from the hotel.

After entering from the south gate, we first went to the southwest water scenic area. The combination of rockery, pavilions and green water is very beautiful!

The Temple of the Sun, also known as the Temple of the Sun, was the place where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped the god of the Ming Dynasty, the sun. Now it is a quiet leisure place in the CBD, where you can relax or exercise.

It is adjacent to the Capital Institute of Pediatrics in the west and surrounded by the embassy district, in a quiet place. Although the park is not big, it has left too many footprints for me. I have been there several times and it always brings me different feelings, sometimes even surprises!

It was cold and the rain had just stopped, with water droplets still on the leaves, but the unique charm of autumn was not lacking at all.

A place I like very much. It's like a community park, but the scenery is really good, with ginkgo and maple leaves, etc. The scenery is very good in autumn.

This is different from the old park I visited before. There are many foreigners here. There are also many foreign children, because there is a children's playground here, which should require a ticket. But there are children from all over the world. I suddenly felt like I was in the United Nations General Assembly... There were all kinds of people speaking all kinds of words, and I couldn't understand anything they said... Haha~

Although I did some research before going to the Temple of the Sun, I was still very disappointed. I thought I could at least see some ancient monuments and feel the weight of history like the Temple of Heaven and the Temple of Earth, but there were almost no relics in the Temple of the Sun. There were only some beautiful views of modern parks, but I was not interested in them.

I think of the issue of historical relics protection again. Beijing has done a terrible job, and it should be said that the whole of China has not done much better. Natural disasters and wars are certainly the reasons for the destruction of relics, but more of them are man-made. The trend of interests, the short-sightedness of decision makers, etc.

What is gone can never come back, I hope that what remains can exist better.

The Temple of the Sun has the colors of Beijing's autumn because of the ginkgo trees, and it also has spring and summer because of the weeping willows and green grass. It only lacks the arrival of winter, otherwise it would be a great four-season garden. The Temple of the Sun is in the embassy district, so many international friends will come to visit again.

It's just so-so, not many tourists, but the mountain in the middle seems to be suitable for flying kites in the summer. There are many embassies in China next to it. Taking photos is not allowed, but I took a few photos secretly, haha