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 temple structure has a round shape on the north side and a square shape on the south side. It symbolizes the powers of Heaven and Earth. The entire architecture of the temple ensemble is based on symbolism. The elements of the buildings are closely related to the number nine, which was considered sacred in ancient China.
The Temple of Heaven was built in the 15th century under the rule of the Ming Dynasty in order for the emperor to communicate with the gods of earth, water, war, and peace. Twice a year, the ruler made a trip to the temple of Heaven to pray and make a sacrifice. Ordinary residents were not allowed to enter the complex. The Chinese believed that if they offered sacrifices to heaven, it would surely help them and save them from harm. Legend has it that the lord of heaven made a decision to balance the natural cycles favorable for harvesting.
All the elements of the architectural ensemble strictly follow one another, the main of which are the Temple of Prayers for the Harvest, the Temple of the Firmament and the Altar of Heaven. The Hall of Prayers for a Rich Harvest (Qinyandian) is the first to appear. This building has a rounded shape, with a blue tile roof supported by 28 columns painted fiery red. The first four of them are placed in the center and symbolize the seasons, the next twelve are the months, and the last twelve are the hours. The main decoration of the interior was the images of dragons – there are about 5,000 of them. After standing for 4 centuries, the hall burned down from a lightning strike. A couple of years later, the building was restored, giving the original image.
Next is the Huangqunui Small Temple, the temple of the Firmament, surrounded by a 6-meter-high Echo wall. Here, even a quiet whisper is reflected by a ringing echo.
On the south side of the Echo wall stands a round Altar built entirely of white marble. The height of the Altar reaches 5 meters. It was here that the emperor brought donations.
In addition to temples and altars, a significant area is surrounded by well-kept 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 has been open for pleasant pastime and relaxation. They like to do gymnastics and martial arts here in the morning.
The Temple of Heaven is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
