The Temple of Heaven (simplified Chinese: 天坛; traditional Chinese: 天壇; pinyin: Tiāntán) is a group of religious buildings used by emperors and located in the southeastern part of central Beijing. The buildings were first used by the Ming emperors and later restored by the Qing dynasty for yearly ceremonies to pray for good harvests and other seasonal rituals. The Temple of Heaven was added to the list of World Heritage sites in 1998. It was described as "a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design that clearly shows an important cosmogony, which had a major influence on architecture and planning in the Far East for many centuries."

History

The temple complex was built between 1406 and 1420 during the rule of the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. This same emperor also oversaw the construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing. The complex is now located in Dongcheng, Beijing, China. It was later expanded and renamed the Temple of Heaven during the rule of the Jiajing Emperor in the 16th century. During this time, Jiajing also built three other important temples in Beijing: the Temple of the Sun (日壇) in the east, the Temple of Earth (地壇) in the north, and the Temple of the Moon (月壇) in the west. The Temple of Heaven was repaired in the 18th century under the Qianlong Emperor. At that time, the government had limited funds, so this was the final major repair of the temple complex during the imperial era.

The temple was taken over by British and French forces during the Second Opium War. In 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion, the Eight-Nation Alliance occupied the temple complex and used it as a temporary command center in Peking for one year. After the Qing Dynasty fell, the temple complex was left without proper care. This lack of maintenance caused several buildings in the complex to collapse in the following years.

In 1914, Yuan Shikai, then President of the Republic of China, held a Ming Dynasty-style prayer ceremony at the temple as part of an attempt to declare himself Emperor of China. In 1918, the temple was turned into a public park for the first time.

Like many historical sites in China, the temple was damaged and destroyed by rioters during the Cultural Revolution. The main central altar in the Temple of Heaven was destroyed during this period, and parts of it along with other debris were thrown into the surrounding park.

Buildings and layout

The temple's design includes elements such as the number of columns, its circular shape, and the number of terraces, which represent the structure of the universe. The temple grounds cover 2.73 km (1.05 sq mi) of parkland and include three main groups of buildings, all constructed based on strict philosophical rules:

• The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (祈年殿) is a large, circular building with three-tiered roof, 36 m (118 ft) in diameter and 38 m (125 ft) tall. It sits on a base made of three levels of marble stone. The Emperor used this building to pray for good harvests. The structure is entirely made of wood and has no nails. The original building was destroyed by a fire caused by lightning in 1889. A new version was built later.
• The Imperial Vault of Heaven (皇穹宇) is a smaller, circular building with a single-tiered roof, built on a base of one level of marble stone. It is located to the south of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and resembles it in shape but is smaller. The building is surrounded by a smooth, circular wall called the Echo Wall, which can carry sound over long distances. The Imperial Vault is connected to the Hall of Prayer by the Vermilion Steps Bridge, a 360-meter-long (1,180 ft) elevated walkway that slopes upward from the Vault to the Hall of Prayer. The dome of this building has no crossbeams to support it.
• The Circular Mound Altar (圜丘坛) is the main altar, located to the south of the Imperial Vault of Heaven. It is a circular platform with three levels of marble stone, each decorated with carved dragons. The numbers of elements such as balusters and steps are either the sacred number nine or multiples of nine. The center of the altar has a round stone called the Heart of Heaven (天心石) or the Supreme Yang (太阳石), where the Emperor prayed for good weather. The design of the altar allows sound from prayers to reflect off the guardrail, creating strong echoes, which was meant to help prayers reach Heaven. The Altar was first built in 1530 by the Jiajing Emperor and rebuilt in 1740.

Ceremony

In ancient China, the Emperor was considered the Son of Heaven. He managed earthly matters on behalf of heavenly authority. Showing respect to the source of his power through sacrifices to heaven was very important. A special temple was built for these ceremonies, mainly used for prayers asking for good harvests.

Twice each year, the Emperor and his group of attendants traveled from the Forbidden City through Beijing to set up camp near the temple. They wore special clothing and did not eat meat during this time. Regular Chinese people were not allowed to watch the procession or the ceremony. At the temple, the Emperor personally prayed to Heaven for good harvests. The most important part of the ceremony during the winter solstice took place on the Earthly Mount. The ceremony had to be done perfectly, as many believed even the smallest mistake could bring bad luck for the entire nation in the following year.

Symbolism

The Earth is shown as a square, and Heaven is shown as a circle. Many parts of the temple complex show how Heaven and Earth are connected, as well as how the circle and square are linked. The entire temple is surrounded by two walls. The outer wall has a taller, semi-circular northern part that represents Heaven and a shorter, rectangular southern part that represents Earth. Both the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Circular Mound Altar are round, and each sits on a square base, again showing the connection between Heaven and Earth. The number nine represents the Emperor and is seen in the design of the Circular Mound Altar. A single round stone plate is surrounded by a ring of nine plates, then a ring of 18 plates, and so on for a total of nine surrounding rings, with the outermost ring having 9×9 plates.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests has four inner pillars, twelve middle pillars, and twelve outer pillars. These pillars represent the four seasons, twelve months, and twelve traditional Chinese hours, respectively. Together, the twelve middle and twelve outer pillars show the traditional solar terms. All buildings in the Temple have special dark blue roof tiles, which represent Heaven.

The Seven-Star Stone Group, located east of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, represents the seven peaks of Taishan Mountain, a place where people in ancient China worshipped Heaven.

There are four main dragon pillars that support the structure. Each dragon pillar represents a season. The building, held up by these pillars, imitates the style of an ancient Chinese royal palace. Twelve inner pillars symbolize the lunar months, and the twelve outer pillars are thought to represent the 12 two-hour periods of the day.

Park

The park is very large, covering an area of 267 hectares (660 acres). The park includes playgrounds, exercise areas, and game spaces. These areas are frequently used by adults, parents, and grandparents who bring their children to play. Some open spaces and buildings are used in the morning for activities like choral shows, ethnic dances, and other performances.

Access

The Temple of Heaven is located in southern Dongcheng District, which was part of Chongwen District until 2010. The park is open every day from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The historical sites inside the park are open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. between April 1 and October 31, and from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. between November 1 and March 31. A small fee is required to enter, and the cost depends on whether it is a busy time or a less busy time. Tickets stop being sold one and a half hours before the gates close.

All four gates of the park can be reached by public transportation.

• East Gate on Tiantan East Road and Tiyuguan Road: Beijing Subway Line 5 Tiantandongmen Station; Beijing Bus routes 25, 36, 39, 208, 525, 610, 685, 686, 723, 827, 829, 957, 958
• West Gate on Tianqiao South Street and Nanwei Road: Beijing Subway Line 8 Tian Qiao Station; Beijing Bus routes 2, 15, 17, 20, 35, 36, 69, 71, 120, 203, 504, 707, 729, 特11, and BRT1
• North Gate on Tiantan Road and Qinian Street: Beijing Bus routes 6, 34, 35, 36, 106, 110, 687, 707
• South Gate on Yongdingmen East Street and Jintai Road: Beijing Bus routes 36, 53, 120, 122, 208, 525, 610, 958, 特3, 特11, 特12, 运通102