Temple of Heaven 天坛印象

Constructed in 1530, the altar was the place where the ceremony of worshipping heaven was held on the winter solstice each year; hence it was popularly known as the Terrace of Worshipping Heaven. The round terrace was first covered with deep blue glazed slabs that were subsequently replaced with light green stone slabs surrounded by a white marble balustrade when it was enlarged in 1749 (the 14th year of the Qing Emperor Qianlong’s reign). The steps of each leading flight, the slabs of each tier and the balustrade are nine or multiples of nine in number, symbolizing the nine layers of heaven and emphasizing its supreme importance.

Built in 1530, the 9^th year of Emperor jiajing’s reign of the Ming dynasty, in a round shape with a double-eave roof, and named first the Hall for Appeasing Gods, it was the main hall of the Celestial Treasure House of the Circular Mound Altar, housing the Gods’ tablets to be used at the ceremony of worshipping Heaven. It was renamed the Imperial Vault of Heaven in 1538 and rebuilt into the present shape in 1752.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, core structure of the Altar of Prayer for Grain was where the Ming and Qing emperors held ceremonies for good harvests. First built in 1420, the hall stands on a round 5.2 meter-high white marble base, which comprises three tiers. Each tier is surrounded by white marble railing boards and balustrades. There is a huge white marble stairway on the middle of stair of each tier, with the relief of patterns of clouds, phoenix and dragon respectively, from bottom to top. Correspondingly, the railing boards, balustrades and drainage outlets of each tire are carved the same patterns. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, 32 meters in height, is a lofty cone-shaped structure with triple eaves, covered blue glazed tiles, and the top is crowned by a gilded ball. This majestic hall looks as if it was a colossus that might prop up the sky from the ground.

The Palace of Abstinence, built in 1420, was the place where the emperor used to observe abstinence from meat, drink, music, women and state affairs for three days before he conducted the sacrificial rites at the temple. Facing east and located to the southwest of the Altar of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Palace of Abstinence is covered with green tiles symbolizing the emperor’s obedience to heaven. The palace, which is square in shape, covers an area of 40,000 square meters. Inside the palace can be found the Beamless Hall, bed chambers, a belfry, a stone pavilion housing a bronze statue (a symbol of justice and righteousness), and rooms for guards and servants. The palace, with its canonical layout and beautiful environment, is girdled by a double wall and a double moat.