Today I’m taking you to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven to experience the charm of this ancient architectural complex!
Location: East side of Yongdingmen Inner Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing. It served as the venue for emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties to worship heaven, pray for good harvests and seek rainfall.
Historical Significance:
- First built in the 18th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1420), renamed "Temple of Heaven" in the 9th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1530).
- Listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level in 1961, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998, and rated as a National AAAAA Tourist Attraction in 2007.
Architectural Features:
- The temple is round in the north and square in the south, symbolizing the ancient concept of "heaven is round and earth is square". Surrounded by two layers of walls, it is divided into the Inner Altar and Outer Altar, covering a total area of 273 hectares. The main buildings are concentrated in the Inner Altar.
- The Inner Altar is divided into north and south parts by a wall. The north is the "Pray for Grain Altar" with the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests as its core; the south is the "Circular Mound Altar" centered on the Circular Mound. The two altars are connected by the Red Stairway Bridge, forming a 1,200-meter-long north-south architectural axis of the Temple of Heaven.
Key Attractions:
- Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests: The iconic building of the Temple of Heaven. It’s a circular hall with three layers of blue glazed tile eaves, used for holding the grand ceremony of praying for grain in early spring. The 28 huge golden nanmu pillars inside symbolize the four seasons, twelve months, twelve two-hour periods of the day, etc.
- Circular Mound: An open-air altar where emperors worshipped heaven on the Winter Solstice. The number of stone slabs and railings on the altar are all multiples of "nine", corresponding to the "supremacy of the emperor".
- Imperial Vault of Heaven: Located north of the Circular Mound, it was used to store the memorial tablets of gods for worship. Its Echo Wall and Triple Sound Stone cleverly utilize acoustic principles, making it an outstanding representative of ancient Chinese architecture.
- Fast Palace: Built in the 18th year of Yongle, it was a special palace for emperors to observe fasts. Three days before the sacrifice, emperors would come here to abstain from wine and music to show piety.
