
Introduction
The Temple of the Sun is an altar located in Chaoyang District, Beijing, China. It is within Ritan Park, in the Jianguomen area. The nearest Beijing Metro station is Yonganli on the Beijing subway Line 1.
The altar was built in 1530 during the late Ming Dynasty for use in ritual sacrifice to the sun by the Emperor of China. The area surrounding the Ritan temple is now a public park, and the site features extensive gardens and a small lake.
On the opposite side of Beijing, to the west, is the Temple of the Moon, located in Fuchengmen.
History & Background
The Ritan Park, now a public park, is home to several famous historical sites such as the “Temple of the Sun”.
The altar was built in the ninth year of Emperor Jiajing reign in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1530), and it was used to be the place where emperors in Ming and Qing feted the "Sun God". The altar was shaped as a square.
In 1951 the Beijing government decided to expand the altar to an area of 21 hectares for Ritan Park.
Under the concern from Premier Zhou Enlai, construction of South, North Gate and Exhibition Showcase were completed.
From then on, a series of construction were conducted. Mudanyuan, Shengchunyuan and other places of interest within the park were delicately arranged in the park.
Highlights Of Ritan Park
Ritan Park is perfect for anyone wanting to take a relaxing stroll through well maintained gardens and ponds. The paths will take visitors a long through numerous pavilions and traditional Chinese structures that will sure to please any tourist wanting to experience ancient China. The walk is great, however park’ s true beauty and significance lies in its Yuxin Garden, ancient storehouses, and the famous Temple of the Sun.
The Yuxin Garden is a massive garden that spans over 3000 square meters. The entire garden is breathtaking and one of Ritan Park’ s most beloved attractions. Here visitors can take the winding path to an enormous sycamore tree that is over one meter round. The tree is certainly a site to behold and offers fantastic shade during a hot day. We recommend taking a rest here and soaking in the atmosphere of this incredible garden.


Another popular attraction is the Shen Ku and Shen Chu storehouses, found near the northern gate. In the Shen Ku storehouse lies the worship tablets that were used in the worship ceremonies years ago. These two sites were also the location where they slaughtered the animal sacrifices. Near here you can also find 44 ancient trees, including an eleven hundred year-old cypress tree, known as the “Nine Dragon Cypress”.


The Temple of the Sun is the true heart of Ritan Park, contains a circular red wall that encloses the altar that symbolizes the sun. In the center of this enclosed area, you will find a massive altar surrounded by short green tiled walls that measure over 250 meters around. The altar, made of red bricks, contains nine steps in all directions. The altar itself was reconstructed in 1985 to resemble the altar used in the Qing Dynasty.


Along with all of its historic attractions and ancient gardens, the Ritan park proudly displays some artistic masterpieces. The biggest artistic attraction is this giant tiled piece, pictured to the left, that depicts several people worshiping the sun. This stunning piece may seem slightly out of place, but is not the only oddity found here in the park, there is also a small amusement park built for the children who visit.


Information
Admission Fee: Free
Opening Hours: 6:00 – 21:00
Directions: Unfortunately, the Ritan Park is not the most accessible of Beijing’s attractions, and reaching the park will include a bit of walking. Take the Subway Line 1 or 2 to Jianguomen Station and leave through exit B. You will then walk for about 10 – 15 minutes until you reach Ritan Park’s South Gate.
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Duration:7-8 Hours
Attractions(Cities):Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace
Tour Style:One day, four Beijing essentials — Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace — with a private English-speaking guide and your own air-conditioned car and driver. Itineraries run daily, take 7–8 hours door to door, and can start from your Beijing hotel, a train station or the airport arrivals gate. Your guide walks you through Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) palace courts with real dates instead of legend, then takes you to a genuine local kitchen for Peking Duck — you order, you pay for what you eat, and vegetarian, halal or lighter meals are easy to arrange. Want to fold in Tai Chi at the Temple of Heaven, a hutong morning market, Peking Opera or Hanfu photos? Just tell us; the car and the day are yours.
Duration:2 Days, 1 Night
Attractions(Cities):Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Nanluoguxiang, Mutianyu Great Wall, Summer Palace
Tour Style:Two days, one night, six Beijing essentials — with a private English-speaking guide, your own car and driver, and one overnight in a city-centre four-star. Day one: Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City (3,400-metre red wall, 980 buildings), a hutong lunch stop, the Temple of Heaven, then evening on Nanluoguxiang. Day two: an early start to the Mutianyu Great Wall — cable car up, optional toboggan down — then the Summer Palace and its 728-metre Long Corridor before drop-off at your hotel, station or airport. Tell us if you want to fold in Peking Duck, 798 Art District, flag-raising at dawn, Chinese acrobatics, a street-snack crawl or Hanfu photos.
Duration:3 Days, 2 Nights
Attractions(Cities):Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Jingshan Park, Summer Palace, Kunming Lake Boat Riding, Nanluoguxiang, Panjiayuan Antique Market, Mutianyu Great Wall, Bird's Nest, Water Cube
Tour Style:Three days, two nights in a city-centre four-star, eleven Beijing essentials and a private English-speaking guide, your own air-conditioned car and a professional driver for the whole trip. Day 1: Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City (3,400-metre red wall, 980 buildings), Jingshan Park for the north panorama over golden roofs, evening on Nanluoguxiang. Day 2: the Mutianyu Great Wall — cable car up, optional toboggan down — back through the city for a walk around the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube lit up. Day 3: the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace with a boat on Kunming Lake, and a slow hour at the Panjiayuan antique market before drop-off at your hotel, station or airport. Lunch isn’t included — your guide takes you to genuine local kitchens and you pay for what you eat.
Duration:5 Days, 4 Nights
Attractions(Cities):Mutianyu Great Wall, Bird's Nest, Water Cube, Qianmen Street, Morning Market, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Jingshan Park, Temple of Heaven, Nanluoguxiang, Facial Makeup Painting, 798 Art Zone
Tour Style:Five days, four nights in a city-centre Beijing hotel with a private English-speaking guide, your own car and a professional driver. This is the ‘beyond the surface’ version of Beijing — yes, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City (3,400-metre red wall, 980 buildings), Jingshan Park for the golden-roof panorama, the Temple of Heaven and the Mutianyu Great Wall are all in, but the tour also threads in a dawn hutong morning market, a face-painting workshop with a working Peking Opera artist, the 798 Art District’s galleries and cafés, an evening at Qianmen pedestrian street, and a slow look at the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube at the old Olympic Park. Lunch isn’t included on purpose — your guide takes you to genuine local kitchens each day and you pay for what you eat. Drop-off on Day 5 at your Beijing hotel, station or airport.
Duration:10+ Hours
Attractions(Cities):Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum
Tour Style:A long but focused day trip to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. Your private English-speaking guide and car meet you at your Xi’an hotel, train station or airport (arrive from Beijing by G-series high-speed rail — 4.5–6 hours, or an early flight if you prefer). Lintong, 35 km east of Xi’an, holds roughly 8,000 life-size clay soldiers, horses and chariots buried with the first emperor Qin Shi Huang around 210 BC and rediscovered by farmers digging a well in 1974 (UNESCO-listed). You’ll cover Pit 1, Pit 2, Pit 3 and the bronze-chariot museum at a proper pace, break for lunch at a local noodle kitchen on your own bill, and finish back at your Xi’an pickup point or the station for the evening train. Total door to door: 10+ hours.
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