The Great Wall and Temple of Heaven

 April 1, 2026

We took a day trip to the Great Wall on Monday. We came to this same Mutianyu access point nine years ago, and it has expanded and become even more touristy. The hike up to the wall is a fairly moderate hike with lots of steep steps. Last time we had no crowds, but this time we were in a steady train of people. It was certainly an easier climb than the steps we took in the high elevation of Tibet!

It was cloudy and overcast when we left Beijing, so we were happy to have blue skies. It was  mid 60's, perfect hiking temperature. 

This is the view from one of the guard towers. There are 23 restored watchtowers on this section of the Wall. We only walked to about six of them. When it was time to head down, there were three options. You could take a gondola, ride in a toboggan or hike back down.

Since Karl is "too old" to toboggan (those over 65 are not allowed to), we opted for the gondola. The students all wanted to toboggan, but ended up using the gondola because there was a two-hour wait to ride in a toboggan.

One of Karl's students from his first semester he taught at UPS in 1990 lives and works in Beijing. Karl invited him to come speak to his class one morning. 

Entrance to the Temple of Heaven.

The next day we visited the Temple of Heaven, a 15th century imperial sacrificial complex on the central axis (the fengshui-inspired layout of imperial buildings in central Beijing). It was the sacred space where the emperor, as the Son of Heaven, would go to communicate with heaven, offer animal sacrifices, and pray for a good harvest. One of the buildings is called the Hall of Abstinence, where the emperor would fast and purify himself before he performed the rituals.

The Imperial Vault of Heaven

The Imperial Vault of Heaven contained the ancestral tablets of the emperor. The ancestors were thought to help maintain the balance between the celestial and the human worlds.

The Temple of Heaven.

In the Forbidden City, all the roof tiles are yellow to signify they are imperial buildings. The roof tiles are blue at the Temple of Heaven to symbolize the heavens. The round-shaped building is also reminiscent of the earth.  

Can you spot Karl in this picture?

The entire population of Taiwan is the same as the population of Beijing! Fighting the crowd is just part of the experience of traveling in China. If you get close enough to look inside the building, you can see a gilded dragon painted on the ceiling.

The full color spectrum of a tomato! These are all tomatoes of various hues.