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The Temple
of Heaven
 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.
Heart of Heavenly Stone
The stone placed in the center
of the top tier the Circular Mound Altar.
Around it there are nine circles, each with
nine stones, altogether 3,402 pieces. They
are of idential size and appearance and
put closely together. They have remained
intact during the past several hundred years.
When people stand on the Heart of Heavenly
Stone and shout echoes will be heard.
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