Outhere in the South-East corner of the giant Temple Park there is nothing but the Calm of the Park. It is not only the perfect place to make a stroll, it is also a good corner for your morning Tai Chi in seclusion, or just for sitting down and reading a Great Book. If you are lucky, during the quiet hours, colorful birds come out to have a sing or a croak.
Follow along the Wall while enjoying the greenery to end up the very corner, where one can turn Northward only to head up to the entertainment
Beneath the eaves of Di Tan's Park's sparsely leafed cypress trees, the alleys and paths surrounding the ancient Earth Temple are buzzing with life.
Another annual Event for which Ditan Park is quite renowned is the anual autumn book fair which, in the accompanying photos, is in full swing.
The Autumn Book Fair is usually held somewhere in the beginning of November, a Time at which the whole Park throughout but especially the area's along the Central Causeways are clogged with newspaper stands. For a week
Schematic Overview Map of DiTan Park depicting all Structures and Buildings within the Park (Nov 2007).
- Click the Links on the Map for Easy Navigation ! -
The whole Ice Festival is intended to enable people in Beijing to view some of the world's best ice sculptures which are directly imported from the Icy City of Harbin, without actually having to travel there and experience the bitter winter cold of Siberia. Harbin, the Capital of Heilongjiang Province is China's northernmost provincial capital and this Icy City yearly holds a world famous Ice Sculpting Exhibition which is attended by a world wide audience. At Ditan Park the scale of the exhibition is somewhat less ambitious, the sculptures being displayed in an area of some 6,000 square meters. Usually, both exhibitions have various sections following popular themes such as the Olympic Flame and Spirit, Chinese landscapes, Chinese Traditional life, Peking Opera and others. Usually the exhibition reserves an area exclusively for childrens entertainment, and often there are Icy
promotions and Social Events. Walk further up North to find the Central Causeway of the Altar of the Earth Park. This central Causeway connects to the Western- and Eastern Gates and roughly divides the Park into a Southern and a Northern Half. You are now leaving the Southern Half which is the main section reserved for a the Historical aspects of the ancient Temple.
Beyond the Central West to East Causeway is the opposite section of the Park and the large space where the main entertainment is found and where several interesting Venues are being held regularly.
Another new and now yearly held Event is the Ditan Folk Music Festival. Usually held in the Month of May, the Ditan Folk Festival is the first and only outdoor music gathering and concert in Beijing at this Time. People from all walks of live can come down, bring a blanket and some snacks and enjoy the athmosphere, or even dance away on the abundant grass at the spacious North End of the Park.
Stage Acts are of high level and include some of the capital's most exciting folk and acoustic blues, jazz and Afrobeat acts and more, all brought down by local Beijing and Northern Artists.
The DiTan Park Music Festival is usually held on May 1st (International Labor Day) & May 2 from 16：30 in the afternoon untill 2230 in the evening and aims to promote a cross cultural blend of music from Mongolia, North
A view Northward along the Eastern Flank
Wall surrounding the Altar of the Earth
(Fangze Tan) (November 2007).
A view Southward from the North-East causeway cutting through the Park at the Norther Lingxing Gates of the Fangze Tan Square Altar.
A view Southward along the Central Axis of the Park. A large expanse of Park crowded with Book Fair Visitors looms (November 2007 AD).
It is a busy coming and going of visitors, traders and book promotors at the annual Autumn Book Fair at Ditan Park in Beijing. Staff after stall provides rare, second hand or new Books, most of which are in Chinese Language only.
section of the Large Ditan Park.
The first such venue stands just to the East of the Square Altar (Fangze Tan) and is basicly made up of a group of small pavilions and a large sandy Square. Its the Ditan Park crocket field, a leasure place mainly for local elderly and pensioners.
Loiter alongside of the Crocket Field and outside the Fence to follow the slow progress of the utterly relaxed ongoing game(s).
A Model of the Northern, Triple Lingxing Gates at the Altar of the Earth (as can be found inside the Hall of the Earth Goddess due South of the Altar.
The Ditan Park however is not merely a refuge for the elderly and staunch practicioners of Tai Chi Quan. There is much more.
Among things, there is a permanent miniature Theme Park for Children and as mentioned, the Park regularly hosts all kinds of Meetings,
Playing Crocket while pondering thoughts. The Good Life of a Pensioner at Beijing's Ditan Park.
Among the first noteworthy yearly Events is the Ditan Park Harbin Ice Sculptures Exhibition. It was first held in Beijing at Ditan in Januari of the year 2002 AD, leading up to- and climaxing in the yearly Temple Fair held with the Chinese Lunar New Year. The Chinese new Year is traditionally the biggest party Time of the year and fairs are held all over China. Hence, the Ice Sculptures festival became such a success that it has been repeated eversince.
Anyone visiting Ditan Park in the deep of winter, preferably in Januari can go out into the Beijing Cold and enjoy the spectacular "Art of Ice" and abundant colors and lighting at the Ditan Park exhibition , which often lasts until March.
The Chinese Long Literary History & Tradition reflected in the eager browsing of young and old at the Autumn Book Fair.
Version of Famed Foreign Monuments on display as well.
West China, Gypsy Jazz, American Blues, African drums, Afro-beat and the like. It is all very modern, especially for the traditionally more conservative City of Beijing. The whole festival is sponsored by the English Language Magazine Beijing Weekly, the local magazine for Foreigners.
crowds of local people swarm the large Park and everyone comes down to find the one book (or more) they had been looking for. The Book Fair is renowned with collectors and literary admirers, so the collection and choice of subjects is huge and staggering. Every local trader joins in the Fair. Lately, the Book Fair is also growingly popular with Foreigners, many of whom live in surrounding area's as expats and whom have come to appreciate local culture and have managed to learn the language as well. So far 95% of the Collection is in Chinese Language only, ut this may change.
Looking for rare Books in Beijing ? Anyone visiting in November could travel down to Ditan Park and have Fun looking for a rare treasure and souvenir.
Beyond the Central Causeway to the North and scattered throughout the Park stand more historic attractions. Among them the ritual Slaughter Pavilion, the place in which bulls, pigs, goats and deer used as ritual offerings to the God(s) were slaughtered.
The Animals slected for the purpose were only of the Best Health and Quality and were killed on the day before the worship ceremony after which they were prepared as the sacrificial offerings for the God of the Earth.
The Food was not intended for the Emperor or his following, since before participating in a worship ceremony, emperors would fast inside of their Fast Palace (Zhai Gong) were they were secluded overnight without food or drink to purify their souls and bodies before the all important yearly ritual. Similarly, a Fasting Pavilion and Slaughter House can be found at the Temple and Altar of the Sun (Ritan Park) in Chaoyang District, as well as at the World Cultural Heritage Temple of Heaven, ancient China's holiest Shrine and site.
The Zhaigong at Ditan Park was used by emperors Shunzhi, Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong and Jiaqing of the Qing Dynasty. It is made up of three palaces, which were originally built in 1530 AD on orders of the Jiajing Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and was rebuilt and renovated in 1730 AD during the Qianlong Reign of the Qing Dynasty Era (1644 AD - 1911 AD).
A last set of buildings inside the Park are merely supporting facilities of the ancient Temple. There are the Holy Storehouse (Shen Ku) and the Holy Kitchen (Shen Chu) plus some wells and other buildings.
The First Site, the Holy Storehouse, was used as a place to hold the sedan chairs used to carry the spirit tablets of the God of the Earth and many other gods from the Imperial Palace to the Holy Altar (The storehouse was also used to temporarily house the spirit tablets when Huangqishi was under repair in 1986 AD), and the Latter, the Holy Kitchen (Shen Chu) functioned as a preparation area for sacrificial food.
The east hall adjacent the Holy Store-house, stored the utensils used in worship. The south hall held the musical instruments used for the worship. The two well pavilions provided water for the ditch surrounding the Fangze Altar and the Holy Kitchen.
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