Information about the Hall of Praying for the New Year in China Temple of Heaven

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests ［in Beijing］

Built in the 18th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1420), it was originally a rectangular hall for offering sacrifices to heaven and earth. In the twenty-fourth year of Jiajing (1545), it was changed into a three-dome hall, and the top of the hall was covered with blue, middle yellow and lower green colored glass, which symbolizes heaven, earth and everything.

In the 16th year of Qing Qianlong (175 1), the three-color tile was changed into a unified blue tile jinding, named "Hall of Praying for the Year", which was a building dedicated to the Valley of Praying for the Year in Meng Chun (the first month).

There are 28 Jin Sinan wooden pillars in the hall where people pray for the New Year. The four pillars in the inner circle symbolize the four seasons, the middle circle 12 symbolizes1February, and the outermost circle 12 symbolizes 12 hours and the stars on Sunday.

The Hall of Prayer for the Year is the main building of the Temple of Heaven, also known as the Hall of Prayer for the Year, and it was the Hall of Prayer for the Year of Emperor Meng Chun in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is a three-story circular hall with double eaves, with gold plating on the top, blue tiles and red columns, and colorful paintings. The new year's prayer hall adopts the superstructure structure. The main hall is built on a three-story white marble platform, surrounded by a 6-meter-high white stone fence, which is an altar for praying for the valley. It's quite spectacular and magnificent. The Hall of Prayer for the New Year is made of brick and wood, with a height of 38 meters and a diameter of 32 meters. Three-layer double eaves shrink upward step by step to make an umbrella shape. The building is unique, without long purlins and nails. Twenty-eight huge nanmu pillars are arranged around to support the weight of the temple roof. The Hall of Praying for the New Year is designed according to the concept of "respecting heaven and respecting god". The hall is round, symbolizing the round sky. The tiles are blue, symbolizing the blue sky. The number of pillars in the temple is also said to be built according to the astronomical phenomena. The four "Longjing Columns" in the inner circle symbolize spring, summer, autumn and winter all the year round; The twelve "golden pillars" in the middle symbolize the twelve months of the year; The twelve "eaves columns" on the periphery symbolize twelve hours a day. The middle layer and the outer layer add up to 24, symbolizing 24 solar terms a year. The total number of * * * 28 on the third floor symbolizes 28 stars in the sky. Together with the eight pillars at the top, there are thirty-six pillars, symbolizing the thirty-six highest days. The Leigong column under the treasure dome symbolizes the emperor's "unification of the world". The algae well in the Hall of Prayer for the New Year consists of two floors and a ceiling with golden dragon and phoenix relief in the middle, which is exquisite in structure and rich and luxurious.