Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven is a special altar for the Emperor of the Ming and Qing Dynasties to worship the heavens, ask for rain and pray for the harvest. It is a famous ancient building in the country. The north of the altar is round, and the south is square. It means “the place of heaven and earth”. The whole temple is divided into two parts: the inner altar and the outer altar. The well-known buildings such as the Hall of Prayer and the Echo Wall are located in the inner altar.

The inner altar is divided into two parts by the palace wall, and the north is the “Qigutan”. It is the place where the emperor held the praying ceremony in the spring. The prayers are good and the rain is smooth, and the grain is rich. The main buildings are the Hall of Prayer, the Emperor’s Hall, the East and West Hall, and the Prayer Year. Doors, kitchens, sacrificial pavilions, seventy-two promenades, etc.

In the south, it is an open-air three-story round stone altar. It is the place where the emperor worships the heavens on the winter solstice. The main buildings are the Qiuqiu altar, the emperor and the temple, the kitchen, the Sanku and the Zaiyang pavilion.

Connecting the two altars is a brick and stone platform with a length of 360 meters, a width of 28 meters and a height of 2.5 meters. It is called “Shendao”, also known as “Haicang Avenue”, also known as “Danyu Bridge”, which means that the heavens will pass by. The long road.

In addition to watching the exquisite architecture of the temples and the grand scenes of the ancient emperors worshipping the heavens, the design of the echoes, the three-tone stone and other wonderful designs also evoke the wisdom of the ancients.

On the stone road in front of the Huangpu Temple to the middle of the gate, the three slabs from north to south are called three-tone stone. In the case where Huang Yuyu’s doors and windows are closed and there are no obstacles nearby, standing on the first slab and slap, you can hear an echo; on the second slate, you can hear two echoes; on the third slate Clap your head and hear three echoes.

A simple visit may have no specific conception of the ancient emperor’s sacrifice ceremony. It does not matter that the evolution process of the Chinese ceremonial rituals is introduced in detail in the ceremonial hall of the Western Hall of the Hall of Prayer, focusing on the etiquette of the ceremonies of the Qing Dynasty, including various festivals and ceremonies. Among them, “The 13th Anniversary of Qing Emperor Qianlong” shows the style of the highest honor of the Chinese royal family. It is especially exciting.

A masterpiece of the Ming and Qing architectural art and a precious example of China’s ancient architecture, the Temple of Heaven is the largest architectural group for worshipping Heaven in the world.

Map