The Temple of Heaven is a supreme example of Ming Dynasty architecture and one of Beijing’s truly prized landmarks. This temple, a diagram of Chinese cosmology, is both a transmitter to the heaven and an icon of Beijing. The Temple of Heaven, where emperors once performed important rites, began in the early 15th century under Yongle, whom many call the “architect of Beijing.”
Set in a vast 660-acre park, a mile south of Qianmen Gate, this sacred plot of land was where the emperor conducted most significant ceremonies and rites of the year. The rituals performed established the divine link between Heaven and the Son of Heaven, channeling eternal law to the Earth.
The Temple of Heaven (Tiantan) was a regal domain and out of bounds to the Laobaixing (Common people). In 1918 the temple’s former functionaries stepped aside to admit the public and extensive renovation work has since been carried out. Its sacred geometry retains the cardinal east-west, north-south axis and its celestial metaphors.
The Temple’s hallmark structure is a magnificent blue-roofed wooden tower, built in 1420. It burned to the ground in 1889 and was immediately rebuilt using Ming architectural methods (and timber imported from Oregon). The building’s design is based on the calendar: 4 center pillars represent the seasons, the next 12 pillars represent months, and 12 outer pillars signify the parts of a day.
Together these 28 poles, which correspond to the 28 constellations of heaven, support the structure without nails. A carved dragon swirling down from the ceiling represents the emperor.
Shaped like a semicircle on the northern rim to represent heaven and square on the south for the earth, the grounds were once believed to be the meeting point of the two. The area is double the size of the Forbidden City and is still laid out to divine rule: buildings and paths are positioned to represent the right directions for heaven and earth. This means, for example, that the northern part is higher than the south.
The temple of heaven was a site for imperial sacrifices, meant to please the gods so they would generate bumper harvests. A long, twisting platform, the Long Corridor once enclosed the animal-killing pavilion; the Long Corridor was traditionally hung with lanterns on the eve of sacrifices. Today it plays host to scores of Beijingers singing opera, playing cards and chess, and fan dancing. On the western edge of the grounds, the Hall of Abstinence is where the emperor would retreat three days before the ritual sacrifice.
The Imperial Vault of Heaven lies south, a round hall tiled in blue and standing on a white platform. The Echo Wall ingeniously conveys sound around its circumference, but any personal interface with this technology is usually blotted out by the commotion of tour groups.
The Circular Altar (Yuanqiu) to the south resonates with astronomical significance, a cosmic hub that was also the site of the annual winter solstice ceremony. The solemnities involved sacrificial offerings of animals to the accompaniment of music. The altar was also requisitioned during times of natural disasters to entreat heaven.
Built in 1530 of blue stone (later replaced with the present white stone), the mound consists of three tiers that represent Earth, the mortal world, and heaven. Nine steps separate each tier, and the upper tier is adorned with nine stone rings. The number nine has special significance in Chinese cosmology, for there are nine layers to heaven.
The central feature of the Fasting Palace near the west gate is its large port-red “beamless hall.” The neighboring Living Hall, surrounded by wilting bamboo, is where the emperor observed abstinence before the rituals.