Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven is the largest temple complex in Beijing, covering an area of 270 hectares, surrounded by two rows of walls, one of which surrounds the entire territory of the complex, and the second only the temple. The structure of the temple has a round shape on the north side and a square on the south side. This symbolizes the powers of Heaven and Earth. The entire architecture of the temple ensemble is justified on symbolism. Elements of buildings are closely related to the number nine, which was considered sacred in ancient China.
The Temple of Heaven was erected in the 15th century under the rule of the Ming dynasty with the aim of communicating with the emperor with the gods of land, water, war, peace. Twice a year, the ruler traveled to the temple of Heaven to pray and sacrifice. Ordinary residents were denied access to the complex. The Chinese believed that if you make sacrifices to the sky, it will certainly help them and protect them from troubles. Legend has it that the lord of the sky made a decision to balance the natural cycles favorable for harvesting.
All elements of the architectural ensemble strictly follow one after another, the main of which are the Temple of Prayer for the harvest, the Temple of Heaven and the Altar of Heaven. The first to appear is the Golden Harvest Prayer Hall ( Qinjandyan ). This structure is rounded, the roof of blue tiles of which is supported by 28 columns painted in fiery red. The first four of them are placed in the center and symbolize the seasons, the twelve next – months, and the last twelve – hours. The main decoration of the interior was the image of dragons – there are about 5000. After 4 centuries, the hall burned down from a lightning strike. After a couple of years, the structure was restored, giving the original image.
Next is the small temple of Huantsunyuy - the temple of the Heavenly Vault, it is surrounded by the Echo wall 6 meters high. Here, even a quiet whisper is displayed in a sound echo.
On the south side of the Echo wall rises the Round Altar, built all of white marble. Altar's height reaches 5 meters. It was here that the emperor brought donations.
In addition to temples and altars, a significant territory falls on well-groomed parks, where there are more than 100 thousand trees.
Since 1914, the Temple of Heaven has become a public park accessible to ordinary citizens. Since then, the complex is open for a pleasant pastime and relaxation. In the morning they like to conduct gymnastics and martial arts.
The Temple of Heaven is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
