Tian Tan Park - Temple of Heavenly Peace

[rpcrowe]

One of my favorite venues in Beijing is the Temple of Heavenly Peace (Tian Tan Park) in the Southwest portion of the city. It was totally different from any other attraction our tour visited because the people there were not just other tourists gawking at the sites. Tian Tan Park is a center of recreation for Beijing residents, especially older retired persons who buy an inexpensive yearly pass to the area.. Sure the park contains the obligatory ancient and beautiful structures such as this Pagoda…



And, of course, it is guarded by lions as are most temples and palaces in China. This the male of the pair of guardian lions which prevent the ghosts from invading the temple. Male lions have spheres under their paws while female lions have cubs under their paws.



The people enjoying themselves and exercising on a brisk morning is what made the park a wonderful place to visit. There are all types of activities going on. The “Mouth Organ Orchestra” with the dancer in a vivid red outfit was one of the first groups I came upon. She was extremely graceful and athletic despite not being a young lady…



Other exercise groups included outdoor ballroom dancing. Outdoor dancing is a favorite activity among the Chinese, especially those in Beijing.



As with anyplace in China. There are crowds. However, the people were very polite and there was no shoving. I am over six feet (~2 m) tall so I got a view over the heads of the crowd. My wife who is just a bit over five feet (~160 cm.) tall felt very constricted and somewhat clostrophobic in this crowd. I shot the crowd by setting my 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens at its widest focal length and holding the camera over my head.



The crowds of people along the covered walkway didn’t distract from the many card games going on as the participants sat on the walkway rails…



Dominoes were also very much in vogue…



All the while, we were entertained by a chorus of singers…



I came upon a group of colorful and friendly folk dancers. My guide said that they were Mongols, however I think that they might have been Turkomen people…



Whoever they were, they were extremely friendly and very photogenic…



Since I didn’t really like the background of these dancers; I decided to replace it in one image…



What I loved best about Tian Tan Park were the lovely children and the freedom to shoot these kids without being considered a pervert. As I mentioned in earlier posts, the Chinese regard it as a compliment when you photograph their beautiful kids…

[Sam Smith]

PHCM,
You have a gift of telling a story with all of this. Keep it coming. I am enjoying it everyday.