Rì Tán Park 日坛公园

日坛北路16号
Part of A Better Guide to Běijīng’s coverage of North and East of the Imperial City

This is another of the Míng Jiājìng emperor’s altars, this time to the Sun, and far smaller in scale than that at either the Temple of Heaven or even Dì Tán. There are entrances on all four sides, with a particularly magnificent páilou on the west side, and a small altar in a central enclosure of red wall topped with green tiles. Otherwise, this is a standard Chinese park with benches under its pines, often occupied by sleeping people with their heads wrapped in newspaper. Others fly kites and play tennis with a ball on a bit of elastic, or Chinese chess.

For an explanation of ceremonial altars in Běijīng, see :

Altars for all Seasons

▶ Rì Tán Gōngyuán, Ri Tán Běi Lù 16, t 8561 6301, 6.30am–9pm winter, 10pm summer, m Jiànguó Mén exit B or Yǒng’ān Lǐ exit A (both Line 1)
b to 日坛公园: 639.

The Altar of the Sun Park is in the heart of the Rì Tán embassy quarter. Walk east from m Jiànguó Mén and turn north up Rì Tán Lù, or south from Cháoyáng Mén Wài.

The streets around the park contain several restaurants catering for embassy staff, and the (avoidable) Xiùshuǐ Silk Market and Friendship Stores (with further foreign food) are 10 minutes’ walk east and south. The Stone Boat bar inside the park is popular, and there’s sleazy nightlife until the small hours in Maggie’s at the south entrance (see Nightlife).

Next in North and East of the Imperial City: Zhìhuà Sì
Previously: Dōng Yuè Miào
Main Index of A Better Guide to Beijing.

For discussion of China travel, see The Oriental-List.