Devon and Daddy on 2V trip to Temple of Heaven

I know it is a lot of pics, but we had a great time. Before we left

Virginia, Devon said that the most important thing he wanted to do

when we arrived in China was to visit the Temple of Heaven. I think

that he had read about it in a book or heard about it while studying

other cultures in school, but in either case, yesterday we were able

to check that off of his list! Devon and his classmates were charged

with identifying and documenting examples of balance, motion and

symmetry while on the trip. The outer portion of the temple is like a

park and full of activity. Athletics, gymnastics, dancing,

stretching, kite flying and top spinning occur everywhere you can see,

and the neat part is that it all seems to be soley for personal

satisfaction and enrichment - no pressure to win, no fear of looking

weird or out of place, not seeking tips for performance, just getting

it done!

Inside the second wall is the 500ish year old temple and surrounding
buildings. It is 4 times the size of the Emperor's palace at the
Forbidden City and it is the place where the Ming and Qing Emperors
would come to pray for good harvest.

Great Day!

Balance and Motion

Hacky Sac

Line Dancing

Check out this dude on the high bar - no padded floor, no spotter, no problem!

Gumby

Top Spinning

First Veiw of the Temple

A balancing activity, can anyone name it?

The Temple 

A little hazy, but I can't get over the mixture of old and new here.  That is a ferris wheel amidst these ancient temples.

Lucky 9's - nine rows of nine bolts on every door

Nine steps in every flight of stairs

Dragons are cool!

Ni Hao!

This is the bridge the Emperor would walk to the temple.  He walked on the East side, his staff on the West, and the Gods walked in the middle.

Walking with the Gods!

The Tree of the 9 dragons.  500+ years old.

This whole courtyard is an echo chamber!

The Heavenly Stone at the Center of the Temple.