The Temple of Heaven was the first stop of day nine. It was built in 1420 as a place for emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties to worship and offer sacrifices for rain and a good harvest. Several smaller temples led up to the largest, most ornate and important temple: The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest.
Welcome to the best day of the trip, it is going to be GREAT!
The Temple of Heaven was the first stop of day nine. It was built in 1420 as a place for emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties to worship and offer sacrifices for rain and a good harvest. Several smaller temples led up to the largest, most ornate and important temple: The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest. Each year the emperor of China would travel here and pray for his people to have a bountiful harvest. The temple is built completely of wood and concrete, no metal nails were used. Also, four pillars inside stabilize the structure represent four seasons and are 27 meters tall. It was interesting to see the rich history of China and how it has evolved the past 600 years. The visit was quick and then on to the main event, the Great Wall of China!
The Great Wall of China was built under General Xu Da's rule in the Ming dynasty and is located in the northeast of Beijing. There are 20 watch towers that separate the wall. We took a bus to a cable car that took us up to tower six. From there, we split off and my group hiked to tower 1. The view was beautiful and the steps were steep! It was amazing to walk on one of the seven ancient wonders of the world! To descend the mountain we took a slide with a lever in the middle. It was a quick trip, but one of the most memorable things we have ever experienced. On to the very well scheduled foot massage!
The foot massage was relaxing and a new experience compared to a massage in America. It's started with hot water for our feet and ended with a full body massage. They used thermal cupping by heating the cup with a flame and placing it on the bottom of our feet. They also used little rubber hammers on our calves. Immediately after we headed to dinner and a show!
Chunyi legend of Kungfu was a live action show portraying the journey of a young boy through Kungfu. We had front row seats and saw men fight, women dance, and a man lay on nails. After, we headed next door for pecking duck, a traditional Chinese dish. It was worth the wait!
This was our longest but most fun day yet! Thanks for following us on this journey!
Image credit: Philip Larson - Beijing, China