[Photo via VCG]

The Imperial Ancestral Temple was where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshiped their ancestors, serving as an important national temple to display traditional etiquette. It is also the best-preserved and largest existing imperial temple for the worship of ancestors in China and a national key protected cultural relic. The Imperial Ancestral Temple and the Altar of Earth and Harvests on the west of Tian'anmen are symmetrically situated at the east and west of the Forbidden City. The Imperial Ancestral Temple is now open to the public and managed and used by the Beijing Working People's Cultural Palace.

Address: East side of Tian'anmen, Dongchang'an Avenue, Dongcheng District, Beijing Municipality

I. General Admission

Peak Season (April 1 – October 31):

06:30 – 20:00 (last entry: 19:30)

Off-peak Season (November 1 – March 31):

07:00 – 18:00 (last entry: 17:30)

II. Ancient Building Area (Chinese Bells of Harmony of Imperial Ancestral Temple)

09:00 – 17:00 (closed on Mondays, except statutory holidays)

Standard Ticket: 2 yuan per person

Concession Ticket: 1 yuan per person

Chinese Bells of Harmony of Imperial Ancestral Temple

Peak season: 15 yuan per person (standard); 7 yuan per person (concession)

Off-peak season: 10 yuan per person (standard); 5 yuan per person (concession)

(Sources: Cloud Central Axis Mini Program, Beijing Working People's Cultural Palace)