We had a free day today, so everyone grouped up based on similar interests and we had a small group of five that visited the Temple of Heaven and the Lama Temple. The temple of heaven was a temple utilized for annual prayers for good harvest during the Ming and Qing dynasties. While some of it's practices pre-date Taoism, it is generally described as a Taoist temple. In 1998, it was designated as a UNESCO world heritage site.
This young couple were having a wedding photo shoot at the beautiful site.
The Chinese government encourages their elderly population to be active and you can see many of them doing tai chi, badminton, hacky-sack, yoga, stretching and other various exercise activities in many of the parks. The Temple of Heaven was no exception and even had a hug area with outdoor gym equment. This man was utilizing the gymnastic bars to perform contortionist twists and stretches.
There are also many different groups scattered throughout the grounds playing various instruments, dancing, playing cards and Chinese chess, and much more.
Here I am standing with the temple behind me through the gateway.
Our group for the morning temple visits...
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