Temple of Heaven

Located in the eastern section outside the Zheng Yang Gate, the Temple of Heaven was the place where the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties would worship Heaven and pray for bumper harvests. The northern part of the outer surrounding wall is semi-circular in shape while the southern part is square. This is a pattern symbolic of the ancient belief that Heaven was round and the earth square. The double surrounding wall separates the temple into two parts–the inner and outer temples. The whole area is 273 hectares. The main structures are in the inner temple. The inner temple is also partitioned by a wall into two groups of buildings: the northern and the southern buildings. The north structure is the Altar of Praying for Bumper Harvests with the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests as the principal building used to pray in spring for bumper harvests. The south structure is the Circular Mound Altar used to worship Heaven at the winter solstice. The principle structure there is a large round marble terrace named the Circular Mound. The two altars, connected by a 360-metre-long raised walk called the Red Stairway Bridge, are laid out on a north-south axis 1,200 meters long and flanked by century-old cypresses in a spacious area. To the south of the West Celestial Gate is the Abstinence Hall where the feudal emperors came before the rituals. In the western part of the outer temple is located the Divine Music Office, which was in charge of the teaching and performance of the ritual music. In the Temple of Heaven are situated such main buildings as the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Hall of the Heavenly Emperor, the Circular Mound, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, the Abstinence Hall, the Beamless Hall, the Long Corridor, the Longevity Pavilion which is in a double ring shape as well as Echo Wall, the Three Echoing Stones, and the Seven Meteoric Stones. Built first in 1420 (the 18th year of Emperor Yongle’s reign in the Ming Dynasty), and then expanded and reconstructed during the Ming Emperor Jiajing’s reign and Qing Emperor Qianlong’s reign, the Temple of Heaven is a grand and magnificent masterpiece of architecture with a formal and solemn environment. Since the founding of People’s Republic of China, the government has allotted a great sum of money to protect and restore these cultural monuments. The Temple of Heaven with its long history, deep cultural content and magnificent architectural style mirrors the ancient culture of the Orient. As a masterpiece of the Ming and Qing architectural art and a precious example of China’s ancient architecture, the Temple of Heaven is the largest surviving architectural relic that was used for Heavenly worship. In 1961, it was listed by the State Council as “one of the major historic site under the state protection”. In 1998, it was recognized by the UNESCO as “the world heritages”.

1. Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests: the Altar of Praying for Bumper Harvests is a circular building with a connected altar and hall. It is built according to the saying that one should "pray to former emperors under the roof and worship Heaven on the altar”. The 5.6-meter-high altar has three levels. These have a respective diameter of 91m on the lower level, 80m on the middle and 68m on the upper level. The round hall has a height of 38 meters and diameter of 32.7 meters and has circular eaves and a polygonal roof with ternary blue glazed tiles and a gold-plated top.

2. The Imperial Vault of Heaven: Located to the north of the Circular Mound, the Imperial Vault of Heaven is seated in the north and faces south. It is a place where spirit tablets are placed and enshrined. The vault has two side halls and three glazed gates in the south. The circular wall, which is 3.72m tall and 0.9m thick, is built from rubbed bricks with tight joints from Lin Qing of Shandong Province, and has blue glazed-tiles at the top. This is the well-known "Echo Wall".

3. The Circular Mound: the Circular Mound which symbolizes heaven has three platforms with a total height of 5.17m. The diameter of the lower platform is 54.92m and that of the upper is 23.65m. Each platform has four approaches - one from each of the four directions- and the staircases at these points each have nine steps. There is a circular stone in the center, with nine rings of stone slabs -- the first ring consists of nine slabs, the second ring has 18, and the third has 27 while the outermost row consists of 81 slabs. Likewise, the number of balustrades and balusters is either nine or a multiple of nine, a figure which represents Heaven.

4. The Divine Music Office: the Divine Music Office is part of the Temple of Heaven complex. Situated in the western outer altar, it was the place used for the rehearsal of the music for the ceremony during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and thus was regarded as the highest institution of ceremonial music at that time. The construction of Divine Music Office began in 1420 during the reign of Ming Emperor Yongle, and was named Divine Music Taoist Temple at first. It had many halls and enjoyed a graceful environment with teahouses and herbal medicine shops around it, and was also known as Temple of Heaven Guan (Taoist Temple). During the reign of Qing Emperor Qianlong (1743), it was renamed the Divine Music School in 1754. Seated in the west and facing east, the Divine Music Office with the principal buildings of Ningxi Hall and Xianyou Hall is situated at the southwest of the outer altar. There are verandas connecting the halls with the three gates in the east, north and south. There is also a square in front of Ningxi Hall.

5. The Abstinence Hall: the Hall was built during the 18th year of the Ming Emperor Yongle's reign (1420). Situated in the southwestern corner of the Altar of Praying for a Bumper Harvest, it was used for the emperors before ceremonies to worship Heaven. Inside is found the Beamless Hall, the bedroom hall, the belfry, the watch house and the patrolling corridor which were used for living, serving and guarding during the ceremony. All of them are built with green glazed tiles and surrounded by double palace walls and two moats. With its precise layout and elegant surroundings, the Abstinence Hall is regarded as representative of the buildings of ceremony and abstinence in China.

6. The South Divine Kitchen: the South Divine Kitchen was built during the ninth year of the Ming Emperor Jiajing's reign (1530). It is situated to the east of the Circular Mound, and is seated in the north and faces south. Its main building includes the Divine Depot, Divine Kitchen and Well Pavilion. The sacrifices for the ceremony were prepared here during the ceremony for worshiping Heaven at the winter solstice. Outside the yard, there is a corridor for the animals to be sacrificed. This connects to the East Lingxing Gate to convey the sacrifices to the ceremony. Orderly and solemn, this is one of the few existing buildings of its kind.

7. A long corridor from the East Brick Gate to the pavilion in the northwest connects the Altar of Praying for Bumper Harvests, its Divine Kitchen, the Divine Depot and the Well Pavilion. The corridor has 72 compartments which represent the Earthly Fiends along with the 36 pillars in the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

8. The 360m long, 30m wide Red Stairway Bridge is the corridor connecting the South Brick Gate of the Altar of Praying for a Bumper Harvest to the South Celestial Gate (Chengzhen Gate), and serves as the axis of the Altar of Praying for a Bumper Harvest and the Circular Mound. On The Bridge there are three stone paths -- the central one for God, the east one for the Emperor and the west one is for the imperial clansmen. The north end is 4m high, 1m higher than the south end. This makes one feel like stepping into a celestial palace.

Chinese ceremonial music performance in Ningxi Hall in the Divine Music Office: Fees are included in the entrance ticket of the Divine Music Office.