The temple of heaven was the only stop today. It was very interesting to see the cultural difference here. At the temple of heaven, there are several areas with different groups of adults taking part in exercise with each other. Four of the unique things we saw, among other things, were: 'hackey sack', hoop tossing, tai chi, group dance.
It is very interesting to me how adults get together outside to partake in different exercise activities. I suppose it makes a lot of sense how Chinese adults tend to keep in such good shape! Being encouraged to exercise outside with a place that is provided, in a welcoming environment with people around the same age group is a great way to stay fit, both mentally and physically.
The architecture was also interesting. In China, the square represents Earth, and the circle represents Heaven. This is used throughout the temple having circular buildings within square courtyards. In the final section of the area there is a large square courtyard, with a three circular platforms leading to a small circular disk on top. This is representing heaven within Earth.
After the temple, we took a train to Tianjin. Here we took some time to settle into the hotel, then had a dinner with a few students from Nankai University, a large university located a few blocks from our hotel.
Josh playing the hoop toss game with a local
A kid and his mom
Gate in the Temple of Heaven
Group shot at the end of the Temple of Heaven
A bicyclist in Tianjin
A city shot of Tianjin
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