Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven & Dumpling Making

1. Meridian Gate (Wu Men) – the only entrance, ceremony & architecture 2. Gate of Supreme Harmony & Inner Golden Water River 3. Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihe Dian) – the Golden Throne Hall, 10 roof beasts 4. Hall of Central Harmony & Hall of Preserving Harmony – exam hall & stone carving 5. Gate of Heavenly Purity – the line between office and bedroom 6. Palace of Heavenly Purity – “Rectitude and Brightness” plaque, secret heir box 7. Hall of Union & Palace of Earthly Tranquility – empress rituals, Qing wedding room 8. Imperial Garden – old cypresses, rockery, pavilions 9. Gate of Divine Prowess – exit, free to explore Jingshan after. Or exit from Donghua Gate

• Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests – the icon of Beijing. A 38-meter circular wooden hall with three blue-tile roofs, built entirely with mortise-and-tenon joints and not a single nail. Emperors came here every spring to ask for a fruitful year. • Imperial Vault of Heaven – a smaller circular pavilion once used to store the ceremonial tablets of Heaven and ancestors. It sits inside the famous Echo Wall: whisper on one side, and someone 60 meters away on the curve hears you clearly. Great photo and "wait, how?" moment. • Circular Mound Altar (Huanqiu) – a three-tier open-air white-marble platform where the emperor held the grand Winter Solstice sacrifice. Count the slabs and rails: everything is nine or a multiple of nine, because nine was the highest yang number and belonged to Heaven. Stand on the central "Heart of Heaven" stone and say something — your own voice comes back louder.