Travel to Beijing this year to witness some of the world’s fascinating sites. One of the most notable ones is the Temple of Heaven (below) or, more specifically, the ‘Altar of Heaven’ is a compound of Taoist buildings in the southeastern part of Beijing. In ancient times, emperors of both the Ming and Qing dynasties used it for religious ceremonies, mainly entailing prayer for good harvest. Most Beijing Hotels will be more than happy to assist you in organising such visits.
The temple grounds were built from 1406 and 1420 during the reign of the Yongle Emperor. It was named as the ‘Temple of Heaven’ in the 16th Century, under the rule of Emperor Jiajing who also built three other famous temples in Beijing: The Temple of Sun, Temple of Earth and Temple of Moon. The temple had undergone renovation in the 18th Century. In 1918, it was turned into a park and was finally open to the public. To this day, many locals visit the park to relax and wind-down, because the scenery is simply stunning. Tourists visit the Temple because it is an architectural masterpiece whose design is so special and unique. The whole site is a significant piece of Chinese history.
The temple grounds cover an area of 2.73 kilometers squared, mainly parkland with three distinct buildings: the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the Circular Mound Alter (right).
The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (left) is a circular building- 36 meters in diameter and 38 meters tall. It was built on three levels of marble stone base. It is completely wooden with no nails. The original hall suffered a great fire in 1889, which resulted in destruction of the site. The fire was caused by lightning and was rebuilt only several years later.
The Imperial Vault of Heaven is also another circular building built on one level of marble stone base. Located south of the Hall of Prayer of Good Harvests. It looks very similar to it as well. A smooth wall called the “Echo Wall” surrounds the building. The Vault is connected to the Hall of Prayer via a 360-meter footbridge.
The Circular Mound Altar is the highlight of the area. At the Altars’ centre lies a round slate called “The Heart of Heaven” where the Emperor would pray for preferential weather. The design of the mound compliments the acoustic properties of the altar. It was believed that the sound of prayer would easily project to the Heavens due to the design and layout of the Altar.
The Temple of Heaven, like the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, is a symbol of Chinese culture and history. Chinese people take pride in the stories of their ancient age. So book your flights with China Flights for an experience of a lifetime.
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