CHINA - first thoughts Part 2 Temple of Heaven

The blistering hot (>100) late August day was supplemented by a windless haze of humidity and a somewhat lighter than normal amount of pollution - so the sky had a tone of blue. That gave me the impression that normalcy would come again. So I kept walking on to the Temple of Heaven. I had been told that it is the most beautiful of the major important sights.

It really is truly impressive, graceful and serene. Built in the 1400's to celebrate and honor the summer and winter solstices with ceremonies designed to demonstrate the interrrelatedness of the two. Circles and squares combined with blue, gold, green and red dragons and phoenixes all make up the splendor that is this temple. Offerings of earthly blessings were burned and the smoke returned to heaven.

The entire park resonated with thoughtful fulfillment of its purpose.

Everyone said the crowds would be unbearable, But I guess the crowds were just wiser than I and avoided the heat of the day. Again no where to eat, but I did find some icecream and thankfully sat on a lonely bench in a grove of huge cedar trees surrounded by a beautifully designed set of what we now call "patio stones". I thought the resulting design was gorgeous.

The following photos show how the temple grounds are also used for community and entertainment, the structure of the Hall of Prayer for a Good Harvest (which incidentally is built without nails or pegs - just remarkable craftsmanship.

Two views of a stately cedar. Peaceful and refreshing. Underlaid with a beautiful tile design.

 

Men and women crowoded the benches along the "Long Corridor" playing determined and competitive games of cards and a big board game that reminded me a bit of a game of checkers, but the pieces are quite large and it seems different from checkers. (I later saw them sold in a sporting goods shop, so it's a pretty serious sport!)

 

 

Then through a beautiful and obscure gate to the beautiful, incredibly beautiful sight of the temple itself.

I wandered in awe for quite some time trying to take in the subtle and overall serenity of its composition, structure, color and all the finishing touches that only enhanced its beauty and harmony.

For those of you interested in energy spots, this place as ABUNDANT :~) We are looking up into the dome of this magnificant jig-saw puzzle building.

The altar scroll reads blessing in both Mongolian and Mandarin, as this temple was built during the time of Kublai Khan. If it is to be believed that Marco Polo actually came to China, he most likely visited here!

The dragon, the phoenix and the lion are the protectors and givers of safety and abundance.

So insanely beautiful. A rare way to spend a day. One thing I really liked was the dark blue tiles. Apparently during re-roofing over time the tile colors have been changed, but I love this color and the way it holds the building down while lifting it up.

I came away so very, very tired. And tipped over like the Leaning Tower itself!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Came home to discover that VERY high heat, no places to sit, nowhere near enough water and walking for 7 hours (while forgetting the time because the fascination was intoxicating) - that all of the above led to a rather shocking condition of the legs.

Not prickly heat, by definition, but rather something they seem to call "Golfer's Vasculitis". Scarlet legs above the sock line, no itching, some swelling, VERY hot, and ugly as sin, but helped by elastic stockings and couch potato-ing all the next day.

All gone now, but I've been put on notice to pay better attention, especially when I get to India.

So the Temple of Heaven left me with some earthly things to consider! Fortunately I've been totally healthy except for this glitch. I know I am very lucky.

 

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