Imperial Ancestral Temple

The Imperial Ancestral Temple, known in Chinese as Taimiao, sits east of Tiananmen Gate next to the Forbidden City and was built in 1420 under the Ming emperor Yongle. Here the Ming and Qing emperors offered the most important Confucian state sacrifices to their ancestors, placing the spirit tablets of past rulers in the great front hall. The three-part complex of front, middle and rear halls rests on a triple marble terrace and is among the best preserved Ming wooden buildings. In 1924 the grounds were turned into Peace Park and today form part of the Working People's Cultural Palace. Visitors stroll through cypress-shaded courtyards away from the main tourist crowds.