3. HISTORY
The Temple of Heaven began construction in 1406 and was completed in 1420, just 4 years before the Yongle
Emperor died. The complex is made up of two sections, the inner section and the outer section, covering 660 acres.
The outer section is a lovely series of garden paths while the inner section is broken up into several smaller sections:
the Abstinence Palace, the Echo Wall, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Circular Mound Alter. Today’s
post is going to be about the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.
4. HISTORY
- Covering an area of 2,700,000 square meters .
- The temple is enclosed by a long wall.
- The northern part within the wall is semicircular symbolizing the heavens and the southern part is square
symbolizing the earth.
- The northern part is higher than the southern part. This design shows that the heaven is high and the earth is
low
- The design reflected an ancient Chinese thought of 'the heaven is round and the earth is square'.
5. Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing (China)
HISTORY
6. Structure and
layout of the
temple of heaven
The Temple grounds cover 2.73 km² of parkland and comprises three main groups of
constructions
The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests
The Imperial Vault of Heaven
The Circular Mound Altar
7. - The hall covers an area of 5,900 square meters.
- Surrounding it is a 6 meters circular stone terrace in three layers.
- Each layer bordered white marble. The hall measured 32 meters in diameter and 38 meters tall.
- It’s a round building made completely of wood with triple eaves painted in blue color to match the heaven.
- It was constructed with no use of nails but with a unique structure to brace the entire hall. It was also designed in
accordance with astrological existence.
STRUCTURE
8. STRUCTURE
The Circular Mound Altar
- It is an open-air circular platform on three levels of terraces.
- Each terrace is bordered with a marble balustrade.
- According to ancient Chinese beliefs, the first level represents the hell, the middle level signifies the earth and the upper level is
the heaven.
- A single flat stone protrudes at the center of the upper level and is called the Heavenly Center Stone. It is the middle point of the
nine circles surrounding it.
11. The dragon is the ultimate symbol of
power in Chinese culture and is thus
associated with Heaven and the
Emperor.
Ornamentation
The Dragon is an
ancient of chinese.
16. Type of materials used
- Dignified complex of fine cult buildings set in gardens and surrounded by historic pine woods
- marble carvings and decorative woodwork of the tiered roofs
- this building is that it was built entirely out of wood, but used no nails.
17. THE
MYSTICAL
DESIGN
The design of the Temple of Heaven complex, true to its sacred purpose, reflects the mystical cosmological laws
believed to be central to the workings of the universe. Both the overall arrangement and the buildings themselves
reflect the relationship between sky and earth, the core of understanding of the Universe at that time.
Hence, complex numerological permutations operate within its design. For example, because the number nine was
considered to be the most powerful, the slabs forming the Circular Altar have been laid in multiples of nine.
18. 10 INTERESTING FACTS OF THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN
1. Many books, magazines, and travel websites prefer to use the photos of the triple-gabled circular
temple in the Temple of Heaven to represent Beijing. It has become one of Beijing’s truly prized
landmarks.
2. Together with the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven is another supreme example of the imperial
architecture in Ming Dynasty. All the architectures were decorated with colorful red to represent the
dignity of the imperial court in ancient China.
3. Occupying an area of 2,700,000 square meters (3,529,412 square yards), the Temple of Heaven is 4
times larger than the Forbidden City.
4. The main structures in the Temple of Heaven lie along the south-north axis as with all temples in
China.
5. The most striking building in the Temple of Heaven is the tall, circular Hall of Prayer for Good
Harvests. Its location was determined by the emperor’s Fengshui masters as the exact point where
heaven and Earth met.
6. Seen from above, all the temple halls round and the base square, shapes also respectively
19. 7. In the south of the park lies the Imperial Vault of Heaven. It’s a round hall tiled in blue and standing on a
white platform. Just north of the altar is the Echo Wall. Here, a whisper can travel clearly from one end to your
friend’s ear at the other.
However, the Echo Wall will not work if there’s a bellowing tour group in the middle. Make sure to get here
early if you want to experience it properly.
8. The Circular Altar to the south was for astronomical use in ancient China. It also served as the sacred place to
hold the annual winter solstice ceremony. The mound consists of 3 tiers that represent Earth, the mortal world
and heaven.
The upper tier in the Circular Altar is adorned with 9 stone rings. the number 9 has special significance in
Chinese cosmology, for there are 9 layers to heaven.
9. The temple park is generally accessed via its west gate. However, there are 4 gates at each side of the place.
The traditional ceremonial route approached the altar through the south gate.
10. The Temple of Heaven used to served as the sacred place where emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 -
1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) held the Heaven Worship Ceremony. First built in 1420, it is China's
largest and most representative existing masterpiece among China’s ancient sacrificial buildings.
Together with the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Summer Palace, The Temple of Heaven is the must see in
Beijing. It offers you a great chance to learn about the Chinese ancient philosophy, history and
religion.
20. THINGS TO DO IN THE
TEMPLE OF THE HEAVEN
- Exercises ( tai chi )
TAI CHI
23. THINGS TO DO IN THE
TEMPLE OF THE HEAVEN
Chinese people singing or playing cards
24. ABOUT TEMPLE OF HEAVEN
Chinese Pinyin: Tīan Tán
Location: Southeast of central Beijing.
Opening Hours: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Ticket Price: low season Y10–30; high season Y15–35
How to get to the Temple of Heaven: Bus 3, 6, 17, 20, 35,
39, 54, 106, 116, 120, 122, or 803.
