In ancient China believed that the emperor is the messenger of heaven, so there must be a special relationship between them, which was carried out through an annual solemn prayer on the winter solstice in one of the most perfect from the architectural point of view of the Chinese temples - in the temple of Heaven.

The history of the creation

It was built in 1420 in the south-east of the capital of the Celestial Empire, ruling then the Ming dynasty. Initially it was called "Temple of Heaven and Earth", but a hundred years later a separate temple was erected for the worship of the Earth. Here everything represents the relationship between these two opposites, each detail is symbolic. Particularly indicative in this regard is the prayer hall, the main one in the entire temple complex.

The Temple of Heaven

Architecture and interiors

The main hall is in a building of round shape, with a roof of blue (like the sky) tiles, the roof consists of three tiers, and supports its twenty-eight rather massive pillars. And the number of them is not at all random - in the middle there are four pillars symbolizing the seasons, then there is another row of twelve columns symbolizing the months of the year, followed by another one of the same series, symbolizing twelve hours. In addition, each of the twenty-eight columns corresponds to the constellations in the night sky.

Unique is the altar of the temple, it consists of several tiers laid out of marble slabs, the number of which is invariably a multiple of nine, so

Also in the temple complex is a special hall, in which the emperor prepared for prayer, there are two separate buildings, where objects for ceremonies are stored, as well as old musical instruments. The Huangqunyu Temple is a little apart, it contains special tablets with the names of absolutely all Chinese rulers, but the main feature of the temple is the wall it is surrounded with, its unique design allows it to be a conductor of sounds, so it is also called a "talking" wall. Opening Hours and Cost of Entry

Great importance in the construction of the temple of Heaven was given to the adjacent park, which is a magnificent example of landscape design. In the past, only members of the imperial family had access to it, the entrance is open for everyone.

It is especially crowded and interesting here in the early morning, when hard-working Chinese people come to a luxury park to practice different kinds of gymnastics and martial arts - and some just modern aerobics

Address: Dongcheng, Beijing

Interior decoration of Heaven Temple, Beijing

The Temple EBA night, Beijing Temple of Heaven

night Temple of Heaven