The Hall of Imperial Zenith, with various memorial tablets of God kept in house-like shrines, is a place for emperors to pray for good harvests. Built in 1420 (18th year of Ming Emperor Yongle’s reign), this hall is to the north of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest. With a tricolored glazed door leading to an altar surrounded by stone balustrade, the hall was built with blue glazed roof tiles. The platform in front of the hall has eight steps on each of its three sides. Guxi Gate stands in the west part of the courtyard. The plaque inscribed with Chinese characters—Huangqidian—were written by Ming Emperor Jiajing.
Historically, on the first and the fifteenth day of each lunar calendar month, the officer in charge of the worship ceremony would send his men in to clean the hall and burn incense. One day before the ceremony, the emperor would finish the worship process. Then, the Director of the Board of Rites would go on to worship God, and the officer in charge of the ceremony would move the memorial tablets of God to the double-dragon pavilion. Finally, the imperial guards would place them in the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest.
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