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Temple of Heaven, Beijing, ChinaThe Temple of Heaven, in Beijing, China, is an ancient Taoist site of imperial rituals. It is the place where Chinese emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties conduct yearly ceremonies of prayer to Heaven seeking good harvest. Although the temple is regarded as Taoist, the rituals and the worship of Heaven, pre-dates Taoism.The Temple of Heaven is located on the southeast part of central Beijing (see map). It was constructed between 1406 and 1420 by the Yongle Emperor, who also built the Forbidden City, around the same time. It was only given the name Temple of Heaven in the 16th century, during the reight of the Jiajing Emperor. The Jiajing Emperor also built three other important temples in Beijing, namely the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Earth and the Temple of the Moon. After the abolishment of the Qing Dynasty, President Yuan Shih-kai of the Republic of China in 1914 performed the Ming Dynasty prayer rituals at the Temple of Heaven, in an effort to have himself aligned as the Emperor of China. The Temple of Heaven covers an area of 2.73 square km. The structures in the complex are built on a north-south axis, and comprises the following: The architecture of the Temple of Heaven is ripe with symbolism. Earth, represented by square, and Heaven, represented by cirlce, features repeatedly in the design. The bridging of squares and circles reflect the relationship between Earth and Heaven. The temple is surrounded by a wall which on the north side is semi-circular, representing Heaven, while on the south side, slightly shorter, is a rectangular wall, representing Earth. The number 9 is representative of the Emperor, and features repeatedly in the design of the Circular Mound Altar. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest has four inner pillars, twelve middle pillars and twelve outer pillars. These represent the four seasons, the twelve months and the twelve traditional Chinese hours. The structures are all roofed with blue titles, a symbol of Heaven. The Temple of Heaven is one of the most important temples for the Emperors of China. Regarded as the Son of Heaven, the Chinese emperors offer prayers at this temple to show that he derives his authority directly from Heaven. Twice a year, the Emperor leaves the Forbidden City and undertake an elaborate ceremonial procession to the Temple of Heaven. Commoners are forbidden from viewing the imperial procession. During this time, he is garbed in special ceremonial robes, and abstains for partaking meat. At the Temple of Heaven the Emperor conduct rituals seeking a good harvest from Heaven. The most important part of the ceremony takes place at the winter solstice, when the Emperor perform special rituals at the Circular Mound Altar. The ceremony had to be perfectly executed lest calamity befall the entire nation. The Temple of Heaven was inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1998. Today has become a popular park for the people of Beijing to exercise. |
Map 1: Temple of Heaven Location Map  The above map shows the different places within the Temple of Heaven. Places within the Temple of Heaven is labelled as shown below.Click here to enlarge for better viewing of map and labels. Labels A: Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest B: Imperial Vault of Heaven C: Circular Mound Altar D: Semi-circular Wall E: Rectangular Wall Map 2: Located of Temple of Heaven from the Forbidden CityThe above map shows the location of the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City. Click here to enlarge for better viewing of map and labels. Labels A: Temple of Heaven B: Forbidden City  Temple of Heaven, featuring the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest by Saad Akhtar (cc-by-2.0)  Another view of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest by Saad Akhtar (cc-by-2.0)  West Gate of the Temple of Heaven by BrokenSphere (GFDL)  The Imperial Vault of Heaven by Saad Akhtar (cc-by-2.0)  East Annex Hall by BrokenSphere (GFDL)  West Annex Hall by BrokenSphere (GFDL)  Inside the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest by Kallgan (GFDL)  Temple of Heaven, the Vermillion Steps by Maros M r a z (GFDL)  Circular Mound Altar by BrokenSphere (GFDL) |
  
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