The Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven was constructed in 1420, the 18th year of the reign of the Ming Emperor Yongle. It was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties used to offer sacrifices to heaven and pray for a good harvest. To ancient Chinese, Heaven was an unfathomable vault. It could bring mankind not only luck, but also disaster. It was the supreme power in the world. Even emperors had to attach great importance to it and calling themselves “sons of heaven”. Being the chief altar of the five altars in Beijing, the Temple of Heaven is the largest, the finest in structure and the best-preserved complex of Chinese ancient sacrificial constructions. It has been inscribed on the World Heritage List on Dec. 2, 1998.
The Temple of Heaven covers an area of about 273 hectares, it was made up of two altars in the north and south. The Circular Mound Altar in the south was the place where the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven used to be held every year on the winter solstice, while the Altar of Praying for a Good Harvest in the north used to pray for a good harvest every year in spring.
The Circular Mound Altar was built in 1530. Every year on the winter solstice, the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties would be here to perform the ceremony of worshipping Heaven. As you can see, there are two walls encircle the altar. The inner wall is round and the outer one is square which symbolize that
heaven is round and earth is square.
The altar is 5 meters high. On the upper part of the altar, you can see a round slab in the center, which is surrounded by slabs. They are all 9 or its multiples. Why is it? This is because in ancient China, the highest odd number below ten or its multiples were considered the most powerful and auspicious numbers. It symbolized the Supreme Ruler of Heaven.
When you reach the top terrace, don’t forget to stand on the central round stone. It was named “Heaven Heart Stone”. If you say something in a low voice on it, you can get a loud echo. The emperors came here each time to stand here and praying to the God of Heaven.
The building in front of us is the Imperial Vault of Heaven. It is one of the main buildings of the Temple of Heaven. It was used to put or store the tablets of the God of Heaven. The Imperial Vault of Heaven is 22.35 meters high and 191 square meters in area. It symbolizes the vast and boundless "heaven". The blue glazed tiles on top of the hall symbolize the blue sky. The Temple of Heaven is the only place where there is this kind of tile. It is also the most valuable color in tiles. There are three doors in front of the building. The stone platform is surrounded by white stone slabs. There is a circle of eight pillars inside the hall and another circle of eight pillars outside the hall, which support the roof. The ceiling is built in bracket system in three concentric tiers. It is painted with the pattern of the dragon and phoenix. There is a
