Welcome to China’s Temple of Heaven!
1. Many books, magazines, and journey web sites favor to make use of the images of the triple-gabled round temple in the Temple of Heaven to characterize Beijing. It has change into one of Beijing’s really prized landmarks.
2. Along with the Forbidden Metropolis, Temple of Heaven is one other supreme instance of the imperial structure in Ming Dynasty. All the architectures have been adorned with colourful crimson to characterize the dignity of the imperial court docket in historic China.
3. Occupying an space of 2,700,000 sq. meters (3,529,412 sq. yards), the Temple of Heaven is Four instances bigger than the Forbidden Metropolis.
4. The primary constructions in the Temple of Heaven lie alongside the south-north axis as with all temples in China.
5. Probably the most placing constructing in the Temple of Heaven is the tall, round Corridor of Prayer for Good Harvests. Its location was decided by the emperor’s Fengshui masters as the precise level the place heaven and Earth met.
6. Seen from above, all the temple halls spherical and the base sq., shapes additionally respectively symbolizing the heaven and earth. The wood pillars help the ceiling with none nails or cement.
7. In the south of the park lies the Imperial Vault of Heaven. It’s a spherical corridor tiled in blue and standing on a white platform. Simply north of the altar is the Echo Wall. Right here, a whisper can journey clearly from one finish to your good friend’s ear at the different.
Nonetheless, the Echo Wall is not going to work if there’s a bellowing tour group in the center. Ensure that to get right here early if you wish to expertise it correctly.
8. The Round Altar to the south was for astronomical use in historic China. It additionally served as the sacred place to carry the annual winter solstice ceremony. The mound consists of Three tiers that characterize Earth, the mortal world and heaven.
The higher tier in the Round Altar is adorned with 9 stone rings. the quantity 9 has particular significance in Chinese language cosmology, for there are 9 layers to heaven.
9. The temple park is usually accessed through its west gate. Nonetheless, there are Four gates at either side of the place. The normal ceremonial route approached the altar by means of the south gate.
10. The Temple of Heaven used to served as the sacred place the place emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911) held the Heaven Worship Ceremony. First inbuilt 1420, it’s China’s largest and most consultant present masterpiece amongst China’s historic sacrificial buildings.
Along with the Nice Wall, Forbidden Metropolis and Summer season Palace, The Temple of Heaven is the should see in Beijing. It affords you an important likelihood to study the Chinese language historic philosophy, historical past and faith.