The Temple of Heaven complex is composed of several temples, halls of prayer, and the large Altar of Heaven. The Temple of Heaven was built in 1420 and was built for the emperors to come and pray for good harvest in the spring, rain in the summer, and offer sacrifices to heaven in the winter. The coffered ceilings and grand symbolism and calculations about the seasons were very impressive. Touring Beijing by rickshaw was one of my favorite parts of our trip. A rickshaw is a buggy seating two that is pulled by a bicycle and this mode of transportation is very common in the capital city.
Rickshaws can easily wind in and out of the city s thousands of alleys and small streets.
We visited a Chinese kindergarten and the five year olds sang to our American group. In response, the Wofford group sang and danced the Hokey Pokey to the delight of the children. Although we sang in English, the children easily picked up the motions and danced around with us. We also visited a traditional Chinese family home during our trip in Beijing. The home is centered around a courtyard and two families lived on opposite sides of the courtyard.