I think it would be fair to say that the Temple of Heaven and I have something of a fractious relationship. On the two occasions I have visited, scaffolding and heavy restoration work have made much of the grounds in which it is situated, off limits. As a consequence of this on both those occasions I have skulked around the place feeling disenchanted at being deprived of great chunks of culture and a bit agitated at having to pay the full admission price when I was not getting the full temple.

The most photogenic and famous part of the temple is the circular, two-tiered, deep-blue Hall of Prayers of Good Harvests. Alas it was this, that on both my excursions there, was closed. On my first visit almost none of the structure was visible as it was virtually cocooned in scaffolding; I managed just to catch the odd glimpse of blue paintwork and was forced to leave mightily disappointed. Five months later the restorations had progressed enough for the hall to be at least visible, but not open to visitors. I took consolation in the fact that I could thankfully take a few pictures from a distance.

Whilst I may have missed out on one of the best aspects of the Temple of Heaven, I was able to enjoy some of the others. The grounds are genuinely beautiful and are exceedingly pleasant to stroll around, this is particularly true in summer when the tree-lined boulevards are lush with leaves and the grass is green and full-bodied.

The Echo Wall is also a wonderfully interesting little thing. It is semi-circular in shape and—in theory—allows sounds to resonate along it, making it possible to talk in whispers with a person thirty meters away. When I tried it though it proved impossible as hundreds of other tourists were trying the exact same thing. All I got was a cacophony of chatter ion a variety of languages.

A similar situation exists at the Triple Sounds Stones. It is alleged that on the pyramid of five flat stones a clap of the hands or a stamp of the feet will reverberate according to the stone upon which you are standing. So if you are on the highest stone, each noise will echo off the stones below. Again, this proved impossible to verify as my claps were drowned out by hundreds of others around me.

Aside from wandering through the temples, be sure to walk through the parks and watch everyone. You will see people painting water calligraphy, dancing, playing folk music, and enjoying life to the fullest in general. It is a surefire way to fall in love with China and its people.

The design of the park is highly symbolic. The north wall is semicircular (heaven) and the southern perimeter is square (earth). There are two altars; in the north there would have been prayers for a bumper crop, and this group of buildings is spectacularly extravagant. The large round building (you’ll often see it in photos of Beijing) is encircled by three ornately carved marble terraces evocatively named "two dragons over mountains and seas," "two phoenixes over mountains and seas," and "auspicious clouds over mountains and seas." Inside the temple, not an inch has been left unadorned - there’s a plethora of colour and design, and bright-red columns sport a gold design of exotic flowers creeping from terra firma heavenward.

We were amused by the Seventy Year Old Gate created as a shortcut for the emperor Hong Li when he became increasingly frail. This wily fellow decreed that none of his successors could use the gate unless they reached the age of 70 (hence its name), and none of them ever did! At the time of our visit, the area was blocked off for renovation.

We stumbled upon a group of tourists clustered around the Nine-Dragon Juniper Tree, so named because the tree’s trunk mimicked the shape of dragons slithering up the gnarled bark of the tree. Just let your imagination run wild!

Make sure you go to the Echo Wall (we nearly missed it) and try to whisper you’re your partner on the opposite side of the circular courtyard. The sound does reverberate along the wall, but to fully appreciate it, you’d need to ask other tourists to vacate the plot. I was tempted, but I guessed that they wouldn’t have complied.

Finally, we tried to imagine the scene with the ritual fires being lit, the solemn sacrifice being made to heaven, and the joyous celebration that would follow the preceding period of fasting.

This is a great and vast site, and I reckon it’s a must-see when you’re in Beijing.

Entering the park from the south affords the opportunity to see the three main sites culminating with best at the end. The first sight is the Circular Alter consisting of three-tiered marble terraces with the lucky number "9" exhibited by the number of stones and other such items within the architecture.

Next is the Imperial Vault of Heaven with Three Echo Stones outside. Stand on the 1st stone facing the vault, say something and you hear one echo. Stand on the 2nd stone and say something and you hear two echoes. And at the 3rd stone, three echoes.

Surrounding the Imperial Vault of Heaven is Echo Wall where a whispered word spoken at the east end of the wall will be heard clearly by someone at the west end and vice versa. Theory of sound waves provides a detailed explanation.

Both the Circular Alter and Imperial Vault of Heaven will cost you an extra Y10 each and does not permit re-entry if you accidentally exit or want to return.

Lastly, the Hall of Prayer of Good Harvest is a round wooden hall, 125 ft high and constructed entirely without the use of any nails or pegs. Inside are 28 huge pillars arranged to represent time. These include 4 seasons, 12 months, and the twelve divisions of a day…as on a clock face.

In spite of the interesting cultural and historic sights, my favorite was an open music area where locals simply engaged in a variety of activities. One group were holding sheets of music and singing out. Others were practicing Tai Chi or playing versions of hackysack and paddle ball. There were still other games that I couldn’t begin describe. A gentleman was even teaching a few couples to waltz.

Hours are 8:30-4:30, cost Y35.