I went to The Temple of Heaven in the winter of 2005/2006. I think that this was in January 2006. I had just moved to Beijing, leaving my family behind in Shanghai. They were to, as per the original plan, move to Beijing in the summer of 2006. We moved to Singapore instead.
I remember that I responded to an Ad in the "That's Beijing" magazine, out of sheer idleness. This young Chinese-American fellow who was making a film, was looking for people to accompany him to various places in Beijing. We met, for the first time, at the Temple of Heaven, and slowly, the group of people who used to explore Beijing, cameras in hand, expanded. We're all linked on Facebook, but.....
The Tian Tan was built during the years 1405-1420, by the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. This is the same gentleman who built the Forbidden City. If you consider what he has built, all that I can say is that, he had considerable foresight in building these places. They have been used considerably by the Ming and Qing Emperors, and are some of the most magnificent places that you can see.
The Tian Tan was a complex of Taoist buildings, which was later expanded in the 16th century by the JiaJing Emperor. In 1918, it was opened to the public.
That day in January 2006 was a bitterly cold day, and while I have always prided myself on my ability to resist cold, I have to say, that a temperature of -9 degrees centigrade coupled with strong winds was quite something, and after a while I had to wear a cap and gloves. The complex is pretty open, and when the cold wind comes howling down from the mountains, then yes, you know that the wind is blowing! I remember seeing these young girls - tour guides - standing on one of the pathways in their thick jackets, literally hopping and jumping in one place to try and keep warm.
During my many visits to the Hutongs, I was always struck by the old people enjoying the music and dancing in the evening.
As we entered the Tian Tan, and walked down the passageways to the main temple complex, we noticed lots of local people, like the ones you see above, singing, playing their instruments and really enjoying the day out.
There is no pressure, no rush. While so called high powered executives like me can sneer and talk about the productive use that we often make with our time, we don't give ourselves the time to pause and savour the moments of life that pass us by. In the end, we all end up as ashes or dust. While we will be remembered for what we did, it is often the positive impact that we create that benefits other people.
Taking the time to enjoy the music of nature simply allows us to receive positive vibrations, and to pass them on.
Mama Kuko would be proud of the people in the picture above.
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