Today we visited the Temple of Heaven, the place were the emperor went to pray to the god of heaven and to make sacrifices. He only came here once every year. If he wasn't available then a high official had to do it for him. The construction of the temple was started in the year 1420.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest is where the emperor, or high official, prayed to the god of heaven. After they prayed, they sacrificed food by burning it so the smoke would take it to heaven. They made sacrifices because they thought it would make the gods happy and give them a good harvest.

Near the end gate there is a raised circular terrace where the emperor stood and read aloud prayers to the heavens. He stood in the center on a large stone so his voice would reach all the way to heaven.

Just inside the gate we saw people exercising, my mom decided to join them. This type of exercise is called Tai Chi Badminton. The goal is to balance a ball on the racket while in motion. If you are good at it then you can throw it behind your back or under your leg, and catch it without dropping it.
 
Before dinner we went to a martial arts show that told the story about how Kung Fu got started. We saw people breaking steel bars with their foreheads.