Ditan Park is located on Andingmenwai Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, covering an area of 37.4 hectares, including a water area of 1.3 hectares. As a national 4A-level tourist attraction, it was the place where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties sacrificed to the "Royal Earth God", and it is also the largest existing altar for earth worship in China. With Ming and Qing imperial altar and temple buildings as the core, the scenic area combines ancient cypress groups (115 existing cypresses over 100 years old), Fangze Altar (altar surface with a side length of 20.5 meters), Huangqi Chamber (five bays in width and three bays in depth), and other buildings to form a unique landscape of "Fangze Worshiping the Earth, Ancient Cypresses Reaching the Sky". The park also has leisure areas such as Ginkgo Avenue (about 300 meters long, with trees over 50 years old) and Fangze Pavilion, receiving about 1.5 million visitors annually.
Historical Culture
Ditan was first built in the 9th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1530), corresponding to the Temple of Heaven, designed following the concept of "Round Heaven and Square Earth". As the core building, Fangze Altar has a surface paved with blue and white stones, surrounded by a water channel, symbolizing "the earth carrying all things". During the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong expanded the altar, and most of the existing buildings retain the Qing dynasty style. In 1925, Ditan was converted into Jingzhao Park, becoming one of the earliest public parks in Beijing; it was announced as a cultural relic protection unit in Beijing in 1984 and listed as the sixth batch of national key cultural relic protection units in 2006. It is also the inspiration source for writer Shi Tiesheng's I and Ditan, in which the descriptions of ancient cypresses and fallen leaves add humanistic feelings to the park.
Main Attractions
Fangze Altar
The core building of Ditan, it was the place where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties sacrificed to the Earth God. The altar is square, with the upper layer having a side length of 20.5 meters and the lower layer 35 meters, surrounded by a water channel. The altar surface is paved with blue and white stones, and there are two layers of low walls (enclosure walls) outside the altar, reflecting the cosmic view of "Round Heaven and Square Earth". The existing Ming Dynasty stone carving "Earth God" seat in the altar is exquisitely carved.
Huangqi Chamber
Located north of Fangze Altar, it was the place to enshrine the Royal Earth God and deities of the Five Sacred Mountains, Five Peaks, Four Seas, and Four Rivers. The building has a single-eave xieshan roof, five bays in width and three bays in depth, covered with yellow glazed tiles. In the central room of the chamber, the throne of the Royal Earth God is enshrined, and in the side rooms, the thrones of mountain and river deities are enshrined. It is now the exhibition hall of "Ditan Historical and Cultural Exhibition", displaying cultural relics of earth worship rituals.
Ginkgo Avenue
A landscape avenue in the northeast of the park, about 300 meters long, with more than 200 ginkgo trees planted on both sides, most of which are over 50 years old. From late October to mid-November every year, the ginkgo leaves turn golden, forming a "Golden Corridor", which is one of the best places for autumn leaf viewing in Beijing, attracting about 12,000 visitors per day.
Fangze Pavilion
Located in the southwest corner of the park, it is a group of quadrangle buildings in the Qing dynasty style, including Fangze Pavilion, Huifang Pavilion, Guanjiaxuan, etc. Originally a resting place for emperors before sacrifices, it is now converted into a teahouse and cultural activity room where visitors can enjoy tea and participate in traditional handicraft experiences.
Food
Old Beijing Enema
A time-honored snack near the south gate of the park, made by marinating pig large intestine, slicing it, and frying it until crispy outside and tender inside, served with garlic sauce. The branch of "Menkuang Hutong Century-old Lu Zhu" is recommended, priced at 25 yuan per serving, selling over 300 servings daily.
Stir-fried Hawthorn
A traditional Beijing-style dessert, made from hawthorns from the Western Hills of Beijing, stir-fried with sugar to be sweet and sour. It is sold in the teahouses of the park, 18 yuan per bowl, containing about 200 grams of hawthorns, selling 150 bowls daily in the peak season.
Door Nail Meat Pie
A special food of "Baiji Nian Gao" shop 500 meters from the east gate of the park. The beef-stuffed meat pie is shaped like a door nail, with a crispy outer skin and rich soup. Each is sold for 8 yuan, about 8 centimeters in diameter, selling 800 pieces daily.
Tickets
The ticket price is 2 yuan per person.
You can search for the official WeChat public account "地坛公园" to get the latest updates or purchase tickets online.
Opening Hours
Open throughout the year. Summer (April 1 - October 31): 6:00 - 21:30 (stopping admission at 21:00); Winter (November 1 - March 31): 6:30 - 20:30 (stopping admission at 20:00). The opening hours of Fangze Altar and Huangqi Chamber are 8:00 - 17:00 (stopping entry at 16:30).
Tour Routes
【1-hour Cultural Tour】: Enter from the south gate → Fangze Altar (30 minutes) → Huangqi Chamber (20 minutes) → Ginkgo Avenue (10 minutes) → Exit from the north gate.
【3-hour In-depth Tour】: Enter from the east gate → Fangze Pavilion (30 minutes) → Ancient Cypress Group (20 minutes) → Fangze Altar (40 minutes) → Huangqi Chamber (30 minutes) → Ginkgo Avenue (30 minutes) → Zhaigong Ruins (20 minutes) → Exit from the west gate.
Transportation
- Subway: Take Exit A of Andingmen Station on Line 2 and walk 800 meters; take Exit B of Hepingxiqiao Station on Line 5 and walk 1.2 kilometers.
- Bus: Andingmen Station (Routes 104, 108, 124), Ditan West Gate Station (Routes 328, 409, 623), Ditan East Gate Station (Routes 119, 125, 430).
- Self-driving: There is no parking lot in the park. You can park in the paid parking lots on both sides of Andingmenwai Street, with about 200 parking spaces, and the charging standard is 10 yuan per hour.
Must-visit Attractions
- Fangze Altar: The largest existing earth worship altar in China, with the altar surface paved with blue and white stones and a side length of 20.5 meters, allowing you to experience the earth worship ritual culture of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
- Ginkgo Avenue: A 300-meter-long golden corridor, with the best leaf color from late October to mid-November, suitable for photography, with an average of 12,000 visitors per day.
- Huangqi Chamber: A building with yellow glazed tiles, five bays in width, displaying earth worship cultural relics inside, helping you understand the ancient deity enshrining system.
- Ancient Cypress Group: 115 century-old cypresses, with the highest tree height of 25 meters and a tree age of over 300 years, forming a dense shade in summer.
Tour Tips
- In autumn (October - November) for ginkgo leaf viewing, it is recommended to enter the park before 9 am on weekdays to avoid the peak crowd.
- Carry a wide-angle lens to shoot the panorama of Fangze Altar, and Ginkgo Avenue is suitable for shooting golden leaves against the light.
- When visiting the exhibition in Huangqi Chamber, you can rent a voice guide (20 yuan per unit) to understand the details of earth worship culture.
- There are no large restaurants in the park, so it is recommended to taste old Beijing snacks near the south gate, with an average consumption of 30 - 50 yuan per person.
Notes
- It is forbidden to carve on the ancient cypress group and cultural relic buildings, and violators will be fined 50 - 200 yuan.
- The steps around Fangze Altar are steep, so the elderly and children need to pay attention to safety, and it is recommended to wear non-slip shoes.
- During the ginkgo peak season (late October), there are a large number of visitors on weekends, so it is recommended to travel off-peak or choose the subway.
- Flying kites and setting up tents are prohibited in the park. Keep the ancient cypress group area quiet and do not make loud noises.
- There are many mosquitoes in summer, so it is recommended to carry mosquito repellent; some roads are icy in winter, so pay attention to anti-slip.