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Temple Of Heaven

Symbol of Beijing

In ancient times, the Temple of Heaven was a place of worship for the emperor to offer sacrifices to the heavens and pray for a good harvest. As the symbol of Beijing, the Temple of Heaven has now been selected as a World Heritage Site.

On the east side of the Central Axis in Beijing, there is an ancient royal garden. In ancient times, it was a place for the emperor to offer sacrifices to the heavens and pray for a good harvest, and now it has become a landmark that best represents the style of Beijing, the ancient capital. In 1998, it was selected by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site, it’s the Temple of Heaven 天坛.

The Temple of Heaven was first built in the 18th year of the Ming Dynasty (1420), and after continuous expansion and renovation, it was transformed into its present size during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. The Temple of Heaven is divided into two parts from south to north, Yuanqiu 圜丘 and Qigu Altar. Because of the traditional Chinese philosophy of “the heaven is round and the earth is square”, most of the main buildings in the Temple of Heaven are circular in shape.

Qinian Hall 祈年殿 is the main building in the Temple of Heaven, with its impressive triple-eaves-pointed roof, and blue glazed tiles representing heaven, which was a very high building regulation in ancient times. The main hall and its three pedestals are circular, and inside the hall are 28 Giant Columns of Jinsinan Wood, a highly precious building material, which only a few royal buildings could use.

Yuanqiu is the place where the winter solstice ceremony was held, consisting of an upper, middle and lower circular altar. To the north of the altar, Huangqiongyu, the Imperial Vault of Heaven 皇穹宇 is the main hall of the Yuanqiu, which is used for the worship of the gods. The main hall is surrounded by a circular wall, 3.72 meters high, and it is said that when a person stands by the wall and whispers, the sound is refracted through the wall to the other end, hence the name Echo Wall. Besides, the Temple of Heaven has Zhaigong Palace 斋宫, the Divine Music Department, the Divine Kitchen and other buildings, which were essential for the ancient emperors to offer sacrifices to the heavens.