Yuetan Park

Also known as Xiyuetan (Altar of Night Moon), the Yuetan (Altar of the Moon) lies in Xicheng District, the western suburb of the former Ming capital. The Ming and Qing Emperors once worshipped the God of Moon here. Built in 1531, originally a temple in Beijing, one of the famous temples, after 1949, the government improved the old temple and planted variety of flowers and trees. And now, Altar of the Moon is a park for the public, full of picturesque and poetic scenery. Covering an area of 120 hectares, Bell Tower, Tianmen, Shenku such ancient architecture are preserved well. It is the cultural relic of Beijing.

In the past decades, bushes and fruit trees have been planted here. In 1969, a 180-meter-tall television-broadcasting tower was erected in the park, taking up about one-eighth of its total space, according to Wang Jun, an official with the Xicheng District Gardening Bureau. During the restoration project, many damaged parts were rebuilt, including the walls of the altar, the square white marble sacrificial platform, the sacrificial routes through the park and many ancient dwellings. The Beijing municipal government and the Xicheng District government jointly earmarked 190 million Yuan for the renovation project, which also called for relocating the broadcasting tower and upgrading the park's environment. Four institutes and 178 households near the altar are also being relocated to make way for the altar wall and expanded greenery.