天坛

Why this place

The Temple of Heaven is where the emperor, as the 'Son of Heaven', performed the winter-solstice sacrifice for the harvest — the most important ritual of the imperial calendar. Its Circular Mound Altar and Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests are masterpieces of timber construction and of symbolic geometry: round for heaven, square for earth.

What to see

• The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, with its triple blue-tiled roof and no nails
• The Circular Mound Altar, with its concentric rings and the 'echo stone'
• The Echo Wall and the Imperial Vault of Heaven
• The park itself, where locals sing, play and practise tai chi from dawn

What to eat

• Not much inside the park — the surrounding neighbourhood has good Beijing breakfast places
• Try douzhi and jianbing at the local breakfast stalls nearby

How to plan

Half a day, combined with the Forbidden City if you start early.

Best time

April–May and September–October; go at 7am when the park is full of morning practice