Top 15 Temple of Heaven FAQs
As the Heaven sacrifice place for the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Temple of Heaven Beijing bears witness to pious moments, when the designated “Son of Heaven” made offerings to divine heaven. The emperors provided seasonal offerings on behalf of the ordinary folks and pleaded for full harvests on the good earth. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, Circular Mound Altar and Imperial Vault of Heaven are the major and representative shrines in the temple.
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| Temple of Heaven |
1. Where is the Temple of Heaven? How large is it?
Located at No. Jia 1, Tiantan Road, Dongcheng District, the Temple of Heaven is 4 km (about 2.5 mi) southeast of Tiananmen Square which is the center of Beijing. It has become a visitor’s prime objective in Beijing. With an area of about 273 hectares (about 675 acres), it is larger than the Forbidden City, but smaller than the Summer Palace.2. When was the temple constructed? Who built the Temple of Heaven? It was first constructed in 1420 under the command of Emperor Zhu Di in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). The temple reached its present scope during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911).
3. Why was the Temple of Heaven built? It was constructed with the emperor's official duties in mind to hold the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony to pray for graces from Heaven and full harvests on earth.
4. Why is it called the Temple of Heaven? As it was a temple used to worship Heaven, hence the name.
5. How do you get to the Temple of Heaven? It's convenient to take subway line 5 and get off at the Tiantan Dongmen Station. Get out from Exit A and you arrive at the East Gate of the Temple of Heaven. Besides, you can take bus 2, 6, 20, 34, 35, 36, 53, 71, 72, 90, 93, 106, 110,120, 622…to get there.
6. What is the Temple of Heaven made out of? It's mainly made out of bricks, wood, and white marble.
7. What are the major scenic spots there? The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, Circular Mound Altar and Imperial Vault of Heaven are the major scenic spots. Apart from the three, the Palace of Abstinence and the Bell Tower nearby, Pavilion of Immolation, Seventy-two Long Corridors and Seven Star Rocks are also worthwhile visiting.
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| Heaven Heart Stone |
8. Why were the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and Circular Mound Altar constructed? In Chinese feudal society, feeding the hungry masses was always the primary concern of rulers. So the emperors must always appease the elements of nature and tame the supernatural as well. By tradition emperors must uphold the pretense of being virtuous and worthy of boundless kindness from the Heavenly Emperor to deliver years of harvests and peace for the common good. As a valid way, the emperors intended to hold the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony to pray for the good harvests. Therefore, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and Circular Mound Altar were constructed to hold the ceremony and the emperors acted as high priests in performing sacred rites.
9. What is the function of Imperial Vault of Heaven? How about the side-halls? Located in the north of Circular Mound Altar, it is the place where the spirit tablets of the Heavenly Emperor as well as the tablets of the previous eight generation forefathers are laid out. As the annex of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the eastern and western branches are used to keep the spirit tablets of the sun, the moon, the stars and the time as well as wind, rain, thundering and cloud. When the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony was held, these tablets have to be ushered in the Imperial Vault of Heaven for prayer.
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10. I heard that fantastic acoustics was well applied to the construction of the temple. What is it? The most representative acoustics sources are in Triple-Echo Stone, Echo Wall and the Circular Mound Altar. The construction of the three is all based on the theory of echo.11. Could you please give me a recommended visiting route? Generally, visitors get into the temple from its south Gate. Walking straight to the Circular Mound Altar, you can enjoy the shrine where the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony was held. After that, you can go to the Imperial Vault of Heaven, where the well-known Echo Wall challenges you for a try. Then walking straight through the Imperial Walkway Bridge, you will get to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. Not far from the hall, you can walk to the Seventy-Two Long Corridors and then Seven-Star Rocks. Finally, walk out of the temple from the East Heaven Gate.
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| Northern Round Wall |
12. Why are the major buildings of the temple shaped round, with the blue tops? In the ancient times, people saw the sky was round and the temple construction mimicked “heaven”, thus they are in round shape. In the same way, as the sky is blue, the roofs of the buildings accordingly are painted blue.
13. Why is the southern wall of the temple square and the northern wall round? People saw the sky above was round and the earth was generally flat. As the emperors held the ceremony for both the earth and the heaven, the corresponding walls were made into square and round to represent the earth and the heaven respectively.
14. When would the emperors hold the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony? Every 15th day of the first lunar month, the reigning emperor went to the former hall to make sacrifice to the Heavenly Emperor to pray for sufficient and timely rain in the growing season. On the day of the Winter Solstice on December 21st or 22nd, he went to the latter building to perform the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony to pray for the good harvests. The emperor also often went there to pray for rain in the early summer.
15. How did the emperors pray for good harvests in the temple? Actually, the prayer ceremony started from the day before the formal occasion: entering the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests from the left gate, the emperor went to Huangqian Hall to pay homage first and then introduced various spirit tablets to the corresponding altars. After that, he would go to check the oblation and went to the Palace of Abstinence. On the next day, the emperor would formally offer sacrifice in the center of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. At the same time, his protocol minister would attend to the ceremonial details. In wake of that, designated emperor’s surrogates would taste the sacrificial food. The rites would be accompanied by grand performance provided by court musicians.
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