Part 3 of "A Day in Beijing - The Temple of Heaven"

The Temple of Heaven, or literal translation is the Altar of Heaven, is a complex of religious buildings situated in Beijing.  The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest.  It has been regarded as a Taoist temple, although Chinese Heaven worship, especially by the reigning monarch of the day, pre-dates Taoism.

The temple complex was constructed from 1406 to 1420 during the reign of the Yongle Emperor, who was also responsible for the construction of the Forbidden City.   The complex was extended and renamed Temple of Heaven during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor in the 16th century.

The Temple of Heaven was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 and was described as "a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design which simply and graphically illustrates a cosmogony of great importance for the evolution of one of the world’s great civilizations..." as the "symbolic layout and design of the Temple of Heaven had a profound influence on architecture and planning in the Far East over many centuries."  

The surroundings of the Temple of Heaven are now a very popular park for exercising.

And a popular place to gather and play games

The Temple grounds cover 2.73 km² of parkland and comprises three main groups of constructions, all built according to strict philosophical requirements.  The Temple of Heaven complex is actually larger than the Forbidden City.   As the 'Sons of Heaven’, Chinese emperors were precluded from building a dwelling for themselves that was greater than the earthly residence dedicated to Heaven hence the difference in overall size of the two complexes.  (Given that this had already been a very long day we actually didn't tour the entire complex - instead we only went to the "main" area, the area with the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.)

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a magnificent triple-gabled circular building, 36 metres in diameter and 38 metres tall, built on three levels of marble stone base, where the Emperor prayed for good harvests.  The building is completely wooden, with no nails.

The Imperial Vault of Heaven is a single-gabled circular building, built on a single level of marble stone base.  It is located south of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and resembles it, but is smaller.  It is surrounded by a smooth circular wall, the Echo Wall, that can transmit sounds over large distances. The Imperial Vault is connected to the Hall of Prayer by the Vermilion Steps Bridge, a 360 meter long raised walkway that slowly ascends from the Vault to the Hall of Prayer.

You can just see the tip of the Imperial Vault of Heaven in the distance, through the various arches and gates

The area I didn't get to at all was the Circular Mound Altar.  It is an empty circular platform on three levels of marble stones, each decorated by lavishly carved dragons.  The centre of the altar is a round slate called the Heart of Heaven or the Supreme Yang, where the Emperor prayed for favourable weather.  Thanks to the design of the altar, the sound of the prayer will be reflected by the guardrail, creating significant resonance, which was supposed to help the prayer communicate with the Heaven. 

In ancient China, the Emperor of China was regarded as the Son of Heaven, who administered earthly matters on behalf of, and representing, heavenly authority.  To be seen to be showing respect to the source of his authority, in the form of sacrifices to heaven, was extremely important.  The temple was built for these ceremonies, mostly comprising prayers for good harvests.

Twice a year the Emperor and all his retinue would move from the Forbidden city through Beijing to encamp within the complex, wearing special robes and abstaining from eating meat.  No ordinary Chinese was allowed to view this procession or the following ceremony.  In the temple complex the Emperor would personally pray to Heaven for good harvests.  The ceremony had to be perfectly completed; it was widely held that the smallest of mistakes would constitute a bad omen for the whole nation in the coming year.

Inside the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests

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And that (finally for those of you reading this), is the end of just one day here in Beijing.  And a hint for what is still to come ... steps, steps and more steps!