Beijing Photo Gallery
Temple of Heaven

Introduction

At the same time that Ming Emperor Yongle laid out and built the Forbidden City (1406-20), he oversaw the construction of an enormous park and altar to heaven directly south of the Imperial palaces. Each winter solstice, the emperor would lead a procession out of the Forbidden City to Tiantan, the Temple of Heaven, where he would perform rites and make sacrifices to the cosmos on behalf of China.

Circular Altar (Yuan Qiu)

These photos of the park are taken from the Circular Altar, a three-tiered marble terrace built in 1530 and enlarged in 1749 by Emperor Qianlong. It is located at the southern end of the park. Bundles of silk were once burned here as gifts to Heaven. The emperors communed with the cosmos from this platform, which is also said to possess strange acoustical properties, magnifying the sound of the voices of orators who stand at its center.

Imperial Vault of Heaven (Huang Qiong Yu)

Due south of the Hall of Prayer is this pavilion with a blue-tiled roof. This smaller version of the Hall of Prayer was built of wood in 1530 to store ceremonial stone tablets. The Vault is encircled by Echo Wall. On a quiet day, it is still possible to experience its remarkable acoustics, which work like a walkie-talkie, enabling two people to conduct a conversation in whispers along the wall no matter how spread out the two communicants become.