During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the
emperor came to the Temple of Heaven to
pay homage to Heaven. The custom to
worship Heaven and the earth came into
being during the Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th
century - 256 B.C.) and elaborated into
a formal ritual during the Han and Tang
dynasties (618 - 907). In the early 15th
century a temple was built to pay
respect to both heaven and the earth and
in the middle of that century the
ceremonies to worship heaven, the earth,
the sun and the moon were conducted at
four seperate temples. The Temple of
Heaven was expanded during the Qing
Dynasty and has remained as the largest
complex of temple in China.
The Temple of Heaven has an area of 273
hectares with a layout in two squares
one inside the other. Two walls divide
the ground into the outer and inner
parts. The outer wall is 6, 416 meters
long and the inner wall is 3, 292 meters
long. The northern part of the outer and
inner walls is a semicircle and the
southern part of them is square,
declining from north to south to
symbolize the traditional belief that
Heaven was high and round and the earth
was low and rectangular. Main structures
are located on the ends of a
flagstonepaved central north-south path:
from south to north are the Circular
Mound Altar, Imperial Vault of Heaven,
the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest and
Huangqian Hall. Auxiliary structures
include Divine Kitchen, Slaughter
Pavilion and Palace of Abstinence.
The Temple of Heaven is an outstanding
representative of Chinese traditional
architecture for its clever design and
harmoneous colors.
Inside the Hall of Prayer for Good
Harvest
The pillars inside the hall all have a
meaning: the four in the inner circle
represent the four seasons of the year;
the 12 pillars in the middle circle
represent 12 months of the year and the
12 pillars in the outer circle represent
12 time periods of the day. The Leigong
Pillar under the center of the ceiling
means the absolute power of the emperor.
Echo Wall
The circular wall surrounding the
Imperial Vault of Heaven is 193.2 meters
long, 3.7 meters high and 0.9 meter
thick. If one speaks against the wall at
one end another can hear his voice at
other end of it.
Three-Echoes Stone
It is the third stone slab on the path
in front of the Imperial Vault of
Heaven. When one stands on it and claps
his hands three or more echoes seem to
emit from the stone. It can cause such
echoes because it is located in the
middle under the Echo Wall. It was made
mysterious in the old days by the rulers
to prevent gossiping against them.
Circular Mound Altar
Also known Heaven Mound Altar, it is
five meters high and of three tiers.
Around each tier there are white marble
balusters. During the Ming and Qing
dynasties in early winter the emperor
would come to this mound to pay homage
to heaven and pray for peace and a good
harvest. |