This page is about the historic site in Beijing. For the temple in Rome of the same name, see Temple of the Sun . For the Tintin book, see Prisoners of the Sun.
The Temple of the Sun is an altar located in Chaoyang District, Beijing, China. It is within Ritan Park, in the Jianguomen area. The nearest Beijing Metro station is Yonganli on the Beijing subway Line 1.
The altar was built in 1530 during the late Ming Dynasty for use in ritual sacrifice to the sun by the Emperor of China. The area surrounding the Ritan temple is now a public park, and the site features extensive gardens and a small lake.
On the opposite side of Beijing, to the west, is the Temple of the Moon, located in Fuchengmen.
During the 2008 Summer Olympics, it was selected as one of the three protest zones.