Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven (Tiantan) is one of China’s best examples of religious architecture. Construction began in 1406 during the reign of Yongle and took 14 years to complete. Emperor Qianlong later carried out an extensive renovation of the complex. Which has three main buildings, where ritual ceremonies took place, and a host of other Taoist structures associated with sacred rites.

The temple complex lies in the midst of a great park that’s popular with Beijing residents. In the morning, the grounds are full of people out for their daily exercise and recreation. You’ll see them singing, practicing Taichi, dancing, playing badminton, and much more.

The temple’s design emphasizes the basic tenets of imperial religious belief, with repeating symbols of heaven and earth: circles and squares, for example, and colors such as blue and yellow. Even the shape of the park follows this principle: the northern end is semicircular, for heaven, and the southern end is square, for earth.

As you approach the park you choose to enter through any of several gates; if you enter through the south gate and proceed north to the triple pai-lou, you’ll be in front of the Round Altar. From here you can proceed to the Hall of Abstinence, Divine Music Bureau, Hall of Prayer for a Good Harvest (the most famous building here), and the Long Corridor.

As a must include destination in your Beijing Holiday Packages itinerary, you will never regret for spending time within the site. After that, continue your Beijing City Tour to other unique destinations within Beijing city.

Temple of Heaven-Huangqiongyu

Temple of Heaven

HISTORY

Each year during the winter solstice, Ming-and Qing-dynasty emperors visited the Temple of Heaven in their capacity as the Son of Heaven in order to offer their prayers, make sacrifices for a good harvest, and present the annual ceremonial report to heaven of the events in the past year.

For three days before the rituals began, the emperor would not drink wine, or eat meat or pungent vegetables, such as garlic and scallions. Instead, he ate simple vegetable dishes. He also abstained from sex.

The day before the ceremony, the emperor – carried in a yellow palanquin (litter) that was borne by 16 men – departed the Forbidden City via the Wu Men. He was accompanied by ceremonial elephants, his master of ceremonies, a cavalry escort packing bows and arrows, dancers, musicians, and eunuchs on horseback decked out in gorgeous robes and carrying paraphernalia for the various rites. Following all these were the imperial standard-bearers – in all, more than 200 people composed the procession.

The emperor passed through the neighborhood of Qianmen, its streets cleaned of peddlers and beggars. In fact, all the city’s residents were required to remain indoors, keep silent and, of course, avert their eyes as the imperial procession passed by. A message was also sent to the Legation Quarter, ordering foreigners not to approach or even attempt to look at the imperial procession. The emperor’s journey was made even smoother since the deep grooves in the street made by wooden cart wheels had been filled. During the late Qing dynasty, even railway traffic was temporarily halted so that the train’s whistle would not destroy the solemnity of the procession.

The procession, which stretched for several miles, continued south all the way to the west gate of the temple complex, where the emperor made his grand entrance. After he arrived, he would take a ritual bath then spend the night before the ceremony fasting in the Hall of Abstinence.

Annual sacrifices to the earth were also performed here on the summer solstice until the reign of Yongle, whose advisers suggested he build a new place for these sacrifices – the Altar of the Earth.

The ceremony of the winter solstice was last held by a Manchu in 1910, during the regency of Puyi, the Last Emperor, who was just 4 years old at the time. Would-be emperor Yuan Shikai, president of the new republic, was the last person to use the hall. He threw on imperial robes during the winter solstice of 1914 to perform the sacrifice for the last time. In 1918 the public was admitted.

Related Post:
Visiting Temple of Heaven
Round Altar
Hall of the Imperial Vault of Heaven
Hall of Abstinence
Divine Music Bureau
Hall of Prayer for a Good Harvest
Long Corridor

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