Altar of the Moon 月坛
南礼士路
Part of A Better Guide to Běijīng’s coverage of West of the Imperial City
The Altar of the Moon was part of the Jiājìng emperor’s expansion of ceremonial in the 1530s. Ceremonies took place at the autumn equinox, with the emperor attending every three years and military commanders standing in for him in between. Falling into disuse at the end of the Qīng, like several other altars it spent time as a barracks during the Republic, and the buildings were used as a school.
The square altar itself no longer exists, its site having been occupied by a broadcasting mast for many years. One of the old gates of the inner enclosure has been incorporated into a concrete wall, and the site of the altar can be glimpsed by peering through locked gates. But the buildings once used for robing and other preparations have now been refurbished, the bell tower is still extant, and the surrounding park has had a recently-completed three-year revamp that makes it a cool, grassy, green refuge, with lots of shrubs and well-planned borders, a shady zig-zag pond-side corridor popular with lunching office workers, and a ‘Heavenly Aroma Yard’ with fragrant blooms.
▶ Yuè Tán Gōngyuán, Nán Lǐshì Lù, t 6802 0940, 6am–8pm. Apr 1–Oct 30; 7.30pm otherwise. ¥1 (¥5 during flower shows). m Nán Lǐshì Lù (Line 1) exit A, Fùchéng Mén (Line 2) exit D. b to 月坛公园: 13, 15, 19, 42, 56, 623.
Next in West of the Imperial City: Jesuit Cemetery
Previously: Lǔ Xùn Museum
Main Index of A Better Guide to Beijing.
For discussion of China travel, see The Oriental-List.
