The Temple of Earth, also known as the Temple of Fangze, was built in the ninth year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1530). It is the second largest of the five altars in Beijing. It is located on the east side of the Anding Gate, opposite the Temple of Heaven, and across the river from the Lama Temple, the Confucius Temple, and the Imperial College.
The Ditan is a solemn, simple and elegant royal temple. It is the place where the Ming and Qing dynasties offered sacrifices to the "emperor's only god", and it is also the largest "altar for offering sacrifices to the land" in China.
The total area of the altar is 37.4 hectares, in a square shape. The whole building is designed in accordance with the traditional and symbolic legends of China's ancient "round sky and place", "blue sky and yellow earth", "south and north", "dragon and phoenix", "heaven and earth", etc. There are some ancient buildings in the Ditan, such as the Fangze Temple, the Imperial Room, the Zaiyang Pavilion, the Zhai Palace, and the Shenku.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, all the buildings including Zhai Palace, Fangze Temple and Huangzhi Room have been repaired, the Temple of Earth archway and bell tower have been rebuilt, the Peony Garden, Jifang Park, Rose Garden, Ginkgo Road and other scenic spots have been newly built, and the surrounding environment of the Temple of Earth has been protected and repaired on a large scale, which not only restores the solemnity of the past, but also enriches the garden landscape, The ancient altar of earth has been revitalized.
Since 1985, the Temple Fair of Spring Festival Culture has been held in Ditan Park every Spring Festival, and has been successfully held for 21 times. There are not only large-scale performances imitating the sacrificial sites of the Qing Dynasty, but also many folk cultures that are displayed and extended here, and are famous at home and abroad for their high artistic taste and distinctive national characteristics.
