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The Temple of Heaven
is situated in the southern part of the city in Chongwen district.
As famous as the
Forbidden City and the Summer
Palace,
it is a "must" for every visitor.
In ancient China,
the emperor was regarded as the "Son of Heaven",
who administered matters on the earth on behalf of the heavenly
authority. To show respect to the heaven, ceremonies for sacrifices
to heaven were extremely important to the emperor. The temple
was built for the worship of heaven and prayers for good harvests.
A double wall encloses the temple.
The upper northern half is circular, representing Heaven and
the southern half is square, representing the Earth, coincident
with the Chinese saying of "Round Heaven and Square Earth".
The main buildings on the north-south axis are The Hall of
Prayer for Good Harvest with the Pavilion of Double Ring Longevity
on the left clustered at the northern end are the Imperial
Vaulted Heaven and the Circular Altar at the southern. A 2.5-meter-high,
360-meter-long causeway connects the two parts and is known
as the Vermilion
Steps Bridge
or the Sacred
Way. Four Heavenly gates were built
on the cardinal points.
Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest
This
triple eave wooden structure with glazed-tiles and colored
decorative patterns is the most attractive in the temple and
is the symbol of Beijing. It stands 38 meters high and 30 meters in diameter
on a triple-tiered circular terrace called Altar for Grain
Prayer. The terrace is edged with marble balustrades carved
with dragons, phoenixes and clouds. Without nails, cement
or steel rods, the whole structure was fixed by wooden mortise
and wooden brackets with the support of 12 pillars.
Astronomic and calendric episteme are usually employed in
the Chinese traditional architecture. There are a total of
28 pillars, which represent 28 constellations. Four thick
in the center symbolize the four seasons of a year, while
the inner 12 enclosed represent the 12 months and the outer
12 for two-hour intervals in a day. And the 24 altogether
represent the 24 solar terms, of approximately 15 days each,
into which the lunar year is divided. The system of the 24
lunar terms is quite important to farmers since it indicates
weather changing at the time when it comes round.
The coffered ceiling of the hall is unique, carved in a design
of dragons and phoenixes. This may remind visitors of a dome
in western churches or Arabic mosques, but different in style
and design.
The marble slab floor in the hall was engraved with dragon
and phoenix. In the centre, there used to be a long table
with screens behind on which the tablets of the Emperor's
ancestors were placed. With predominance of Confucianism,
ancestor worship had also become an important feature. Therefore,
tablets were enshrined in the Ancestral
Temple as well as
in the Temple of Heaven. |
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| The Temple of Heaven is situated in the southern
part of the city in Chongwen district |
| In ancient China, the emperor was regarded
as the "Son of Heaven", who administered matters
on the earth on behalf of the heavenly authority |
| The coffered ceiling of the hall is unique,
carved in a design of dragons and phoenixes |
| "..This may remind visitors of a dome
in western churches or Arabic mosques, but different in style
and design.." |
Here
is the van we may provide. Also car, mini bus, and coach are available
according to your request. |
