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Temple of Heaven Mysteries?
There's a practical reason for some of the "vanishing" too, and it's less mystical than it looks. The park has a few sunken areas and tree-lined dips, the biggest being the cypress grove south of the Circular Mound Altar, where the ground drops maybe a meter or so. From the main paths you genuinely can't see anyone down there, then you turn a corner and there's a whole group of thirty people doing sword forms in near silence. I've walked that stretch for years and still get surprised. If you want to find them, follow the sound of the jian bells rather than your eyes.
haha no secret societies, its way more boring than that. those folks are mostly heading to the long corridor area (Changlang) on the west side or the pine groves near the west gate, thats where the regular tai chi and qigong crowds set up every morning around 6-7am. theyre not disappearing, theyre just going to their usual spot with their usual group, some of these crews have been meeting in teh same corner for like 20 years. fwiw the east side near the Echo Wall gets the tourists, west side is where locals actually hang out.
honestly what you probably saw was people slipping into the walled side compounds, not the main park. places like the shenle shu area or the little courtyards off the danbi bridge have their own gates that close early, and the regulars know exactly which ones stay open for the morning crowd. i've followed a couple of those tai chi uncles before and they just walk straight through a side entrance near the northeast corner like they own it, no ticket check, nothing. so not a secret society, more like a 30 year habit of knowing which door to use
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best photo spots in beijing?
olympic forest park is slept on fr. the linden trees along the main axis go gold in late october and the bird's nest reflection in the lake at sunrise is nuts, barely anyone there on weekdays. also check out 798 art district on a weekday morning, the old factory pipes and graffiti make great contrast shots. tbh bring a wider lens than u think you need, everything in beijing is bigger than it looks in photos
everyone goes for the big landmarks but honestly the best shots i got were from the overpasses on the 3rd ring road at dusk, just traffic light trails with CCTV tower lit up in the background. also guomao at blue hour from the silk street footbridge, the CBD towers all glassy & orange, tripod helps cuz u need a slow shutter. one thing nobody mentions, air quality totally changes your photos so check the AQI app the night before, a clear day after rain is worth waiting for
For sunrise the Temple of Heaven east gate area is underrated, locals doing tai chi around 5:30am with the morning fog, way better than fighting crowds at Tiananmen. For sunset honestly just walk along the canal near Shichahai, the reflections off the water with the Drum Tower behind are hard to beat. Bring a tripod if you can, the good light only lasts like 20 mins this time of year.