The Temple of Heaven in Beijing is nestled in an enormous park. The Chinese use this massive park for a variety of different exercises.
The entire temple is surrounded by a double wall. In the north of the temple the walls have a round outline, while the outline of the south walls forms a square. Viewed from above, the outline of the temple wall looks like a long drawn-out dome. This shape is derived from the notion that the sky is round and the earth is square. Due to the double wall surrounding the entire complex several metres apart, inner and outer temple areas are created. The most important buildings in the complex are to be found in the inner area. The entire temple axis, including terrace and halls, is 1,200 metres long and is flanked by old trees. This makes the Temple of Heaven, according to its own estimations, the longest complex in the world for Heaven worshipping.
It’s not just Heaven that is worshipped here though – many Chinese practice Tai Chi in the park. They seek a private spot under the trees, relax, and practice their daily exercise routine to keep themselves fit and flexible into old age. It is a much more common sight in China to see older people participating in active or meditative exercises than here in Germany. You can see young and old people alike together performing slow, flowing exercises. The young at heart ‘oldies’ glide gracefully through the park and exercise under the big trees, too.
The development of health awareness goes even further though. The idea to offer older people the opportunity to enjoy sporting activities in public green areas, has existed in China for a long time. Fitness parks have been a feature in the Temple of Heaven for over 20 years. They are located in the outer temple area and were created for adults to encourage them, in the spirit of traditional Chinese medicine, to train their bodies together in a group. Older people in particular were interested in the range of exercise and relaxation options. These parks have since become a part of the traditional town picture in China. Visitors of all ages meet here for active and recreational exercise. One of the most complex exercise sites is located in the Temple of Heaven.
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