Information about the Temple of Heaven in Beijing

The Temple of HeavenThere are two extant temples of heaven in China***, one is the Temple of Heaven in Xi'an and the other is the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, of which the Temple of Heaven in Beijing is the more famous.

The Temple of Heaven in Xi'an

The Temple of Heaven in Xi'an is located in the southern suburb of Xi'an, south of the Temple of Heaven Road, was first built in Sui and abandoned at the end of the Tang Dynasty, it is a ceremonial building for the emperor to perform heavenly ritual activities, and is also the only remaining Xi'an Temple of Heaven in Xi'an as the ancient capital of the more intact royal buildings. It was originally a mound of earth and is protected as the "Tang Temple of Heaven Ruins". Tang Dynasty 21 emperors in addition to Shunzong, Lamenting Zong have been here for the rituals of heavenly sacrifice.

When it comes to the Temple of Heaven, many people think of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, however, in Xi'an, there is the Temple of Heaven, which is older and more historically valuable than the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, and few people pay attention to it because it is hidden in a dilapidated compound.

The Temple of Heaven was first built in Sui and abandoned at the end of the Tang Dynasty, and was called Huanqiu in ancient times, also known as the Round Mound, and later known as the Temple of Heaven. It was located about 950 meters east of the ruins of the Mingde Gate of the Tang Chang'an City, south of Shaanxi Normal University in the present-day Yanta District of Xi'an. The Xi'an Temple of Heaven Ruins is one of the second batch of cultural relics protection units in Shaanxi Province, which was announced on August 31, 1957.In March 1999, researcher An Jiayao of the Institute of Archaeology, Archaeological Team of the Academy of Social Sciences, presided over the excavation of the excavation, which is relatively intact as a whole. Revealed the remnants of the platform wall, mapping the basic shape of the Tang Dynasty Huanqiu. Xi'an Municipal Bureau of cultural relics in 2003 ~ 2004, the Temple of Heaven organized the implementation of the protection project. Xi'an Temple of Heaven

Huanqiu for four layers of round altar white plaster. Each layer of the round altar are equipped with twelve ah (i.e., on the terrace of the stairway), was twelve stars evenly distributed around the altar, respectively, radiated in 12 directions, about the reflection of the Tang people's mind in the sky twelve stars, evenly distributed around the altar for the son of the ah, the ugly ah, the c ah, the d ah, the c ah, the Si ah, the afternoon ah, the un- ah, the shen ah, the you ah, the Huxu ah, the Ohio ah, the son of the, the afternoon, the d ah, you ah also known as the North, the South, the East, the West ah. Its face south of the afternoon ah is wider than the other eleven ah, afternoon ah (i.e., south step) than the rest of the eleven ah wide, is the emperor boarded the altar of the step road.

The round altar **** has four layers, all piled up with soil and become, about 8 meters high, the bottom layer of the surface diameter of about 54 meters, the second layer of the surface diameter of about 40 meters, the third layer of about 29 meters, the fourth layer (i.e., the top layer) of about 20 meters, the height of each layer ranging from 1.5 meters to 2.3 meters, the top layer of the center of the circle can be seen in the center of the position of a small pit. Two emperors of the Sui Dynasty and 19 emperors of the Tang Dynasty worshipped here, especially the empress Wu Zetian. After the Tang Dynasty, the Huanqiu was abandoned, but the altar remains to this day; it was backfilled and sealed in May 1999, pending a preservation plan. The construction of the entire Huanqiu is very unique, the entire body of the altar does not have a brick or stone, all the plain earth rammed, the platform wall and the platform surface are smoothed with yellow mud, all the exposed parts of a layer of white gray surface.

The Temple of Heaven in Xi'an is the earliest surviving ceremonial building of the Emperor in China. Chinese Academy of Social Sciences cultural relics expert An Jiayao pointed out that, compared with the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, the Temple of Heaven in Xi'an is more valuable, Beijing's Temple of Heaven is only 5.4 meters high, Xi'an's Temple of Heaven is 8 meters high, Beijing's Temple of Heaven is only on the four sides of the steps, Xi'an's Temple of Heaven is 12 sides of the steps. The Temple of Heaven in Beijing was built in Ming and Qing Dynasty, and the Temple of Heaven in Xi'an is more than 1,000 years earlier than it. The Temple of Heaven in Xi'an is unique in the world.

Its ruins are also on the list of the Silk Road in Xi'an for the World Cultural Heritage, and the conservation plan has been submitted to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, and will be opened to the public if the bidding is successful in the future.

Xi'an Temple of Heaven Bus Route: No. 19, No. 44, No. 215, No. 217, No. 229, No. 323, No. 408, No. 504, No. 527, No. 600, No. K600, No. 603, No. K631, No. 704, and get off at Wujiaguan, and then get off at the south of the road, and then get off at the south of the road, and then get off at the south of the road and get off at the east of the road and get off at the south of the road. --Temple of Prayer for the Year

Chinese Pinyin: Tiān tán

English: The Temple of Heaven

Introduction to the Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven in Beijing is located in Beijing, in the southeastern part of the former outer city of Beijing. Located in the Forbidden City due south east of the city south, Zheng Yangmen outside the east side. Built in the Ming Dynasty Yongle eighteen years (1420). It is the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties in ancient China offered sacrifices to heaven. The total area is 273 hectares. It is a building used by the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties to "offer sacrifices to heaven" and "pray for grain". Temple of Heaven (Temple of Heaven) In 1961, the State Council announced the Temple of Heaven as a "national key cultural relics protection unit", and in 1998, it was recognized by UNESCO as a "World Cultural Heritage".

The Temple of Heaven in Beijing covers an area of 2.72 million square meters, the entire area than the Forbidden City (the Forbidden City) is also a little larger, there are two walls, forming the inner and outer altar, the main building Prayer Hall, the Royal Dome, the round mound. Mound built on the north-south axis. Altar wall south north circle, symbolizing the circle of heaven and earth. Round hill altar in the south, pray for the Valley altar in the north, the two altars in a north-south axis, separated by a wall. Round hill altar in the main buildings are round hill altar, the royal dome, etc., pray for the valley altar in the main buildings are the Hall of Prayer for the year, the Royal Palace of Qian, pray for the year door, etc.. The Hall of Prayer for the Year of the Dragon was built in the 18th year of the Yongle of Ming Dynasty (1420), initially known as the "Hall of Great Sacrifice", is a rectangular hall. The Hall of Prayer for the Year of the Dragon is 38.2 meters high and 24.2 meters in diameter, and the inside of the Hall symbolizes the four seasons, the twelve months, the twelve hours, and the stars and constellations of the week, which is one of the only surviving rows of the ancient Mingtang-style buildings. Huanqiu was built in the ninth year of Jiajing of Ming Dynasty. Every year at the winter solstice on the platform to hold a "ceremony to the sky", want to be called the altar of heaven. The Echo Wall is the circular enclosure of the Heavenly Treasury. Because the wall is hard and smooth, so it is a good reflector of sound waves, but also because of the circumferential curvature is accurate, sound waves can be continuously reflected along the inner surface of the wall, forward propagation.

[edit]History

According to historical records, ancient China has a formal sacrifice to heaven and earth activities, can be traced back to the second millennium BC, is still in the slavery society of the Xia Dynasty. Ancient Chinese emperors called themselves "Son of Heaven", and they had great respect for heaven and earth. Every emperor in history regarded sacrificing to heaven and earth as a very important political activity. The sacrificial buildings were of great importance in the construction of the capital city of the emperors, and they must be built with the highest technical level and the most perfect art by concentrating manpower, material and financial resources. The Temple of Heaven, built in the late feudal society, is the most representative work of many sacrificial buildings in China. The Temple of Heaven is not only a pearl in Chinese ancient architecture, but also a treasure in the world's architectural history. The Temple of Heaven was built in the 18th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1420), and Zhu Di built it at the same time as the Forbidden City in 14 years, with the name of the Temple of Heaven and Earth. Jiajing nine years (1530) due to the establishment of the four suburbs of the sacrificial system, in the thirteenth year of Jiajing (1534) renamed the Temple of Heaven. Qing Qianlong, Guangxu Emperor remodeling remodeling, before the formation of the current pattern of the Temple of Heaven Park.

In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, heaven and earth were originally combined together to worship, the north and south of the altar of suburbia are the same, set up sacrifices in the place called the Hall of Great Sacrifice, is a square eleven buildings. The Ming Dynasty Jiajing nine years (1530) changed to heaven and earth to sacrifice, in the Temple of Heaven to build Huanqiu altar, dedicated to the sacrifice of heaven, and the other in the northern suburbs of the construction of the altar of the square Ze sacrifices to the ground, the original joint sacrifice of heaven and earth of the Hall of the Great Sacrifice, and gradually abolished and not used. Jiajing nineteen years (1540), and the original Hall of Great Sacrifice into the Hall of Great Harmony, the round building from now on.

After the Qing Dynasty, everything is still according to the old system of the Ming Dynasty. Qianlong period, the country rich and powerful, the Temple of Heaven is also a big project. Qianlong 12 years (1747), the emperor decided to rebuild the inner and outer walls of the Temple of Heaven, change the earth wall for the city bricks, the middle to the top of the city bricks wrapped in two layers. The width of the top of the wall of the inner altar wall is reduced to create four feet eight inches, without the columns of the eaves, to become a corridor without the columns of the overhanging eaves. After remodeling the Temple of Heaven inside and outside the altar wall, more thick, more than ten miles around, becoming a very magnificent landscape. Temple of Heaven's main buildings such as the Hall of Prayer for the Year of the Dragon, the Royal Dome, Huanqiu are also remodeled at this time, and has survived to this day.

[edit]World Heritage Sites

Chinese Name: Temple of Heaven

English Name: Temple of Heaven

Number: 200-021

The Temple of Heaven in Beijing has been inscribed as a World Heritage Site. The Temple of Heaven in Beijing was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1998 according to Criterion C(I)(II)(III).

What the World Heritage Committee said about the Temple of Heaven:

Built in the first half of the 15th century AD, the Temple of Heaven in Beijing is located in the midst of a royal garden, surrounded by ancient pines, and is a well-preserved complex of altars and temples, which, both in terms of their overall layout and in terms of the individual buildings, reflect the relationship between heaven and earth, a relationship that occupies a central place in the ancient Chinese view of the universe. At the same time, these buildings also reflect the unique role played by emperors and generals in this relationship.

[edit]Temple of Heaven Cultural Heritage Value

(a) The Temple of Heaven in Beijing is one of the deposits of Chinese civilization.

The Temple of Heaven from the location, planning, architectural design, as well as sacrificial rituals and ritual music and dance, all based on the ancient Chinese "Zhouyi" yin and yang, the five elements and other doctrines, the success of the ancients to the "heaven" knowledge, "heaven and man relationship" and the wishes of the heavens The ancient people's understanding of "heaven", "the relationship between heaven and man" and their wishes for heaven were expressed to the fullest extent. All dynasties built altars to the heavens, and the Temple of Heaven in Beijing is one of the two completely preserved altars of heaven in China, the other being the Sui and Tang Dynasty Altar of Heaven in Xi'an.

(2) The architecture of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing displays the artistic expression of allegory and symbolism unique to ancient China.

The scale of the Huanqiu and the number of components focus on and repeatedly use the number "nine" to symbolize "heaven" and emphasize the connection with "heaven". Temple of Heaven Prayer Hall to round, blue symbol of the sky, the temple columns and openings and respectively away from the meaning of the four seasons of the year, twenty-four seasons, twelve months and twelve hours of the day (ancient times a day divided into twelve hours, each hour of the day, together with the two hours) as well as a symbol of the constellations of the heavens - the stars and so on. Everywhere "like the sky and the law" is the ancient "Ming Tang" (ancient Chinese emperors dedicated to a ritual building, everywhere like the sky and the law) type of architecture is the only remaining case, is the carrier of ancient Chinese culture.

(C) Beijing Temple of Heaven set of ancient philosophy, history, mathematics, mechanics, aesthetics, ecology in a furnace, is a masterpiece of ancient fine arts.

[edit]Layout of the Temple of Heaven

The main buildings of the Temple of Heaven are all located in the inner altar, arranged in a straight line from south to north. All palaces, altar base are facing south into a circle to symbolize the sky. The entire layout and architectural structure, have a unique style. Prayer Hall is the emperor prayed for a bumper harvest of the five grains, is a three-feathered round hall, 38 meters high, 32.72 meters in diameter, blue glazed tile roof, all brick and wood structure, no beams and long purlins, relying on 28 wooden columns and 36 square jiao support, in the shape of the building has a high degree of artistic value.

The Temple of Heaven is separated into the inner altar and outer altar by two altar walls, shaped like the word "back". The corners of the south side of the two altar walls are all right angles, and the north side corners are all arcs, symbolizing the "circle of heaven and earth". The outer altar wall circumference of 6553 meters, originally only in the west wall of the Prayer Valley altar door and Huanqiu altar door, after 1949, and then built a new east door and north door, and the inner altar south of the Zhaohang door into the south door.

The Temple of Heaven's inner altar wall circumference of 4,152 meters, there are six doors: Prayer Valley altar has the east, north and west of the three heavenly gates, Huanqiu altar of the south side of the Taiyuan, Zhaoheng and Guangli door. The main buildings are concentrated in the altar, south of the Huanqiu altar and the Royal Dome, north of the Hall of Prayer and the Royal Dry Hall, between the two parts of the wall, and a 360-meter-long, 28-meter-wide, 2.5-meter-high "Dan陛桥"（brick canopies）connecting the Huanqiu altar and Prayer Valley altar, which constitutes the north-south axis of the inner altar.

Huanqiu Altar is the place where the emperor held the rites of sacrifice to heaven, was built in the ninth year of Jiajing (1530). Altar plane is circular, *** divided into three layers, are set up white jade railings. The surface of the altar originally used blue glazed bricks, after the reconstruction in the 14th year of the Qianlong reign (1749), it was paved with hard and durable aiye bluestone. Each layer of the head of the railing is engraved with a cloud dragon pattern, under each railing and extends outward a stone chi dragon, used for altar surface drainage. The Huanqiu Altar has two low walls, one square on the outside and one round on the inside, symbolizing the roundness of heaven and the earth. The ancillary buildings of the Huanqiu Altar include the Imperial Vault and its hips, the Divine Treasury, the Pavilion of Sacrifice, and the Three Treasures (the Treasury of Sacrificial Vessels, the Treasury of Musical Instruments, and the Treasury of Palm Recommendations), and so on. Standing on the round stone in the top center of the Huanqiu Altar, although speaking in a low voice, it seems to be very loud. Therefore, whenever the emperor sacrificed to heaven here, its loud voice, as the oracle of heaven in general, coupled with the solemn atmosphere of the ritual, more mysterious effect. This is because the altar surface is smooth, sound waves can quickly spread in all directions, touching the surrounding stone fences, reflected back, and the original sound convergence, the volume is doubled.

Huang dome Yu Huang dome is located in the north of the Huanqiu altar, is enshrined in the Huanqiu altar rituals of the place of God, the storage of rituals of God's premises. Built in Ming Jiajing nine years (1530), initially known as the Thai God Hall, Jiajing seventeen years (1538) renamed the royal dome. For the heavy eaves and rounded pointed roof building. Qing dynasty qianlong seventeen years (1752) rebuilt, changed to gilt roof single eaves blue tile round pointed roof. There are east and west hipped 5 rooms. The main hall and the east and west hips *** surrounded by a flat and smooth round wall, people in different positions on the wall face wall talk, standing in the distance wall, can be heard very clearly, this is the echo wall. Royal dome under the steps, there are three slabs, that is, the echo stone: standing on the first slab against the steps, high five, you can hear an echo, standing on the second slab on the palm, you can hear two echoes, standing on the third slab on the palm, you can hear three echoes.

The main hall and the supporting hall of the Royal Dome are surrounded by a round wall, which is 3.72 meters high, 61.5 meters in diameter and 193 meters in circumference. Inside the wall is smooth and clean, can be regular transmission of sound waves, and echo long, so it is called "echo wall".

Cigu Altar Cigu Altar is held in the spring of Bengchun Prayer Ceremony place, built in the Ming Dynasty Yongle eighteen years (1420), the main building has the Hall of Prayer, Huangqian Hall, East and West Hall, Praying for the year door, the Divine Kitchen, Zaijia Pavilion, the Promenade, Praying for the Valley Altar altar for the altar of the temple combined with the circular building, according to the ancient "house sacrificed to the emperor," the said! It was built according to the ancient saying of "sacrificing the emperor under the house". Altar for three layers, 5.6 meters high, 91 meters in diameter of the lower layer, 80 meters in diameter of the middle layer, the upper 68 meters; Prayer Hall for the round, 38 meters high, 32.7 meters in diameter, triple blue glazed tiles, rounded eaves, save the tip of the roof, the top of the treasure gilt. Pray for the year hall by 28 nanmu big column support, columns ring turn arrangement, the middle 4 dragon well column, 19.2 meters high, 1.2 meters in diameter, support the upper eave; 12 gold columns in the middle to support the second layer of eaves; peripheral 12 gable columns to support the third layer of eaves; accordingly set up a three-tiered smallpox, set up in the middle of the dragon and phoenix algal wells; the hall beam square Shi dragon and phoenix and seal color painting.

Another important building of the Prayer Valley Altar is Huangqian Hall, which is located in the rectangular courtyard surrounded by the Prayer Wall, between which there is a glazed door to connect. It is a hipped hall covered with blue glazed tiles and a pedestal base with alabaster stone balustrades underneath. The hall was designed to enshrine the "God of Heaven" and the gods of the emperor's ancestors. The divine version are enshrined in the shape of the shrine like a house, every lunar calendar, the first and fifteenth, the management of the rituals of the Yamen regularly send officials to sweep the dust, on the incense. The day before the festival, the emperor to this incense salute, by the Ministry of Rites Shangshu incense, three kneeling and nine kowtow rituals and then by the Secretary of the Taishang Temple rate of officials will be invited to the Dragon Pavilion, placed by the Luang Yiwei sample erbium lifted to the Hall of Prayer for the year in the corresponding god to be put in place, to be sacrificed.

Huanqiu altar, the Royal Dome, Prayer Valley altar is the central axis of the three main buildings, connecting the three main buildings is a long through the north and south of the foundation, called Danhaji Bridge, also known as the Divine Road or Haidian Avenue. It is 360 meters long, 29.4 meters wide, 1 meter high at the southern end, from south to north gradually rose to 3 meters, symbolizing the road and the Palace of Heaven, the emperor from south to north step by step to heaven. The center of Danjie Bridge is the Divine Way, the left is the Imperial Way, and the right is the King's Way. The emperor walks on the Royal Road, the princes and ministers walk on the King's Road, and the gods walk on the God's Road. Under the bridge there are east-west tunnels, which are the holes where the animals are sent to slaughter before the sacrifice.

Lai Palace is located in the Temple of Heaven West Tianmen South, sitting west to east, is the emperor came to the Temple of Heaven to pray for the Valley, praying before the fasting and bathing place. Therefore, it can also be said to be a small palace. It was built with a palace city, the palace wall has two layers: the outer layer is called the brick wall, the inner city is called the purple wall. The outer city is mainly a defense facility, built in the four corners of the outer city guard room. Northeast corner of the outer city has a bell tower, every time the emperor in and out of the Palace, are to ring the bell to welcome. Jaigong inner city before, in, after three parts. The front part of the main hall as the center; the rear part of the emperor's inner chambers; the central part is a long and narrow courtyard, the courtyard at each end of the corridor tile room five, is in charge of eunuchs and chief eunuchs of the duty room. Jaigong area of 40,000 square meters, there are more than 200 architectural houses, although not as brilliant as the Forbidden City, but the scale is also very grand, and elegant and secluded. Ming and Qing emperors were in the festival before this "fasting" three days, only the Yongzheng Emperor later "fasting" the first two days to change the Forbidden City in the Palace of fasting "fasting", the last day before moving to the Temple of Heaven! Jaigong. Outside the twofold Royal ditch, outside the ditch around the inner bank with 163 corridors. Palace face east, the main hall 5, for the beamless hall for coupon masonry structure. The main hall on the platform of the fasting bronze Pavilion and the hours of the Pavilion, behind the Hall, there are 5 bedchamber, the northeast corner of a clock tower, hanging Yongle years of the system and a bell.

Shenle Department in the Huanqiu altar in the northwest outside the West Heavenly Gate, was built in the Ming Dynasty Yongle eighteen years (1420). It was built in the 18th year of the Yongle period (1420) of the Ming dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, it was called Shenxiangxiang, and the music and dance officials and dancers of Shenxiangxiang were all Taoist priests. When the capital was moved to Beijing in the 18th year of the Ming Dynasty, there were 300 music and dance students accompanying the driver into Beijing, and there were about 600 music and dance students in the Ming Dynasty. By the time Jiajing music and dance students totaled 2200.

[Edit Paragraph]Architectural Features

The Temple of Heaven in Beijing is one of the world's largest complexes of ancient temples to heaven. In China, the ritual of sacrificing to heaven originated in the Zhou Dynasty, and since the Han Dynasty, emperors of all dynasties have attached great importance to it. After the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, every year on the winter solstice, the first day of the first month of the lunar year, and the first month of the summer, the emperors would come to the Temple of Heaven to hold ceremonies to offer sacrifices to the heavens and pray for grain. If there was a year with little rain, they would also pray for rain at the Huanqiu Altar. Before the sacrifice, fasting is usually required. At the time of the sacrifice, in addition to offerings, the emperor would also lead the civil and military officials to worship and pray for the mercy of the gods.

The main design idea of the Temple of Heaven building is to highlight the vastness of the sky, in order to express the supremacy of the "sky". In terms of layout, the inner altar is located east of the north-south axis of the outer altar, and Huanqiu altar and the altar of prayer is located in the inner altar of the central axis of the east, these are in order to increase the degree of openness of the west side, so that people from the west side of the main entrance into the Temple of Heaven, you can get a broad view to feel the greatness of the heavens and their own smallness. In terms of the single building, the Hall of Prayer for the Year of the Dragon and the Imperial Vaults both use a rounded save cusp, their external pedestal and eaves layer by layer contraction uplifted, but also reflects a feeling of proximity to the sky.

The Temple of Heaven also displays the allegorical and symbolic expressions characteristic of traditional Chinese culture everywhere. The round north and south altar wall and the round building with square facade design, all symbolize the traditional "heaven and earth" concept of the universe. The extensive use of blue glazed tiles on the main buildings, as well as the Huanqiu Altar emphasizes the "Yang number", the Hall of Prayer for the Year of the Lord in accordance with the heavenly phenomenon of columns and other designs, is also a concrete embodiment of this expression.

[edit]Huanqiu Altar

Huanqiu Altar, also known as the altar to heaven, worship platform, altar, is an open-air three-tiered circular stone altar for the emperor's winter solstice sacrifice to the sky, built in the ninth year of the Ming Jiajing (1530), the Qing dynasty in the fourteenth year of the Qianlong (1749) to expand. Altar circumference of 534 meters, altar height of 5.2 meters, divided into the upper, middle and lower three layers, each layer of the railings lookout columns and the number of steps are with the number of yang (also known as the "number of days", that is, multiples of nine), with the "Nine and a half" of the dignity. The surface of the altar is made of aiye green stone. Altar surface in addition to the center stone is round, peripheral circles are fan-shaped, the number is also Yang number. Each layer has white jade balustrades and pillars, all of which are multiples of 9. The round stone plate in the center of the top floor is called the sun stone or the heart of the sky stone, standing on its shouting or knocking, sound waves will be reflected by the near side of the railing, forming a significant echo.

In ancient China, odd numbers were called Yang numbers and even numbers were called Yin numbers. Among the Yang numbers, the number 9 is the "pole of Yang", which represents the highest and greatest of the heavenly bodies and is called the "heavenly number". The ancients believed that nine was the pole of the yang number, indicating the highest and the greatest, and the emperor was the son of heaven, also the highest and the greatest, so the whole Huanqiu Altar used multiples of nine to indicate the authority of the son of heaven. The number of columns and steps of the Huanqiu Altar is 9 or multiples of 9 everywhere. The outer layer of the top circular stone slab is a fan-shaped stone, **** there are 9 layers. The innermost tier has 9 stones, and each outer tier has 9 more, as do the middle and lower tiers. The number of panels in the three layers is 72 in the upper room, 108 in the middle layer, and 180 in the lower layer, or 360 circumferential degrees. The total diameter of the three layers of the altar surface of 45 zhang, in addition to being a multiple of 9, but also implies "nine or five" symbolism.

Huanqiu altar outside the two enclosing walls, round and square, each side of a latticework door. Southwest corner is expected to lampstand three (north and south of the two only remains), the southeast corner of the burnt wood furnace, Dizhikan, prairie stove and with the clothes table. East of the altar there is a sacred library, sacred kitchen, slaughter pavilion, sacrificial vessels library, musical instruments library and brown building library and other ancillary buildings.

[Edit Paragraph]Royal Dome

Huanqiu altar is north of the Royal Dome, the Royal Dome compound is located in the Huanqiu altar outside the god of the god of the north side of the altar, sitting north-south, round walls, the south side of three glazed door, the main building has the Royal Dome and the East and West Hall, is the Huanqiu altar for the sacrificial god of the place. Sacrificial gods used in the sacrifice of heaven are stored here. It was built in the ninth year of Jiajing (1530), initially known as the Hall of the God of Tai, seventeen years (1538) onwards was renamed the Imperial Vault. Qianlong seventeen years (1752) after the restoration for the gilt treasure roof single eaves save pointed building, with blue glazed tile roof, symbolizing the blue sky. Hall 15.6 meters in diameter, 19.02 meters high, by eight gold columns and eight gable columns **** with the support of a huge roof, three layers of smallpox algal wells layer by layer, the construction of exquisite. Hall in the middle of the round stone seat carved white jade, enshrining the "Emperor God" tablets, around with the enjoyment of the Emperor's ancestors of the divine plate. The main hall east and west each has a hall, respectively, for the sun, moon and stars and clouds, rain, thunder and lightning and other gods tablets. The appearance of the entire building looks like a round pavilion, located in the 2-meter-high white jade Sumeru pedestal, surrounded by a stone parapet. In addition, in front of the Royal Dome of the temple to the gate in the middle of the stone road, from north to south of the three stone slabs called the three sound stone. In the Royal Dome of the windows and doors are closed and there are no obstacles in the vicinity of the case, standing in the first slab of high-five, you can hear the echo of a sound; in the second slab of high-five, you can hear the echo of two sounds; in the third slab of high-five, you can hear the echo of three sounds.

The echo wall is the Royal Dome of the wall. The wall is 3.72 meters high, 0.9 meters thick, 61.5 meters in diameter, 193.2 meters in circumference. The wall is made of milled bricks built in pairs, and the wall is covered with blue glazed tiles. The curvature of the enclosure was very regular, and the walls were extremely smooth and neat, and the refraction of sound waves was very regular. As long as two people were standing in the east and west of the hall, standing against the wall, a person leaning against the wall to the north to speak, the sound wave will be continuously refracted along the wall forward, to one or two hundred meters to the other end, no matter how small the sound of the speech, but also to make the other side hear clearly, and the sound is long and interesting, to create a kind of "celestial inductance" of the mysterious atmosphere. Mysterious atmosphere. So called "echo wall".

[Edit paragraph]Hall of Prayer

Hall of Prayer in the northern part of the Temple of Heaven, also known as the Temple of Prayer Valley, formerly known as the Hall of Great Prayer, the Hall of Great Hedges, was built in the Ming Yongle eighteen years (1420), the Temple of Heaven's earliest buildings. Qianlong sixteen years (1751) after the restoration, renamed the Hall of Prayer. Guangxu fifteen years (1889) was destroyed in a lightning fire, a few years later rebuilt in its original form. The current Hall of Prayer for the Year is a 32.72-meter diameter circular building, gilded treasure roof blue tile three eaves save the pointed roof, layer by layer into the total height of 38 meters.

The Hall of Prayer for the Year is the round seat of the Prayer Valley altar, three layers of 6 meters high, imposing. Altar around a low wall, the southeast corner of the burnt wood furnace, Duchan, prairie stove and with clothing table. North of the altar there is Huanggan Hall, five rooms wide, originally placed in the ancestors of God, and later moved to the temple. The side of the altar also has the Prayer Gate, the Divine Treasury, the Divine Kitchen, the Daijia Pavilion, the Animal Road and the Promenade and other ancillary buildings. The square south of the promenade has a seven-star stone, which was placed during the Jiajing period of the town stone.

The main building of the Temple of Heaven is the Hall of Prayer for the Year of the Dragon, which was built in the 18th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1420). Every year, the emperor held a ceremony here, praying for good weather and a good harvest. The Hall of Prayer for the Year of the Dragon is circular in shape, with a diameter of 32 meters, and the Hall of Prayer for the Year of the Dragon is 38 meters high, which is a round hall with a triple eaves with a gilded roof, and the eaves of the hall are dark blue in color, which are paved with blue glazed tiles because the sky is blue, as a symbol of the heavens.

The architectural excellence of the Hall of Prayer for the Year of the Dragon is that the Hall of Prayer for the Year of the Dragon uses 28 large pillars of nanmu wood and 36 interconnected lists, jiao, supporting the three-tiered conjoined eaves of the Hall. These large pillars have different symbolism: the central four pillars called Tongtianzhu, on behalf of the four seasons; the middle twelve gold pillars, on behalf of the twelve months; the outer twelve gable pillars, on behalf of the twelve hours; the middle and outer layers add up to twenty-four on behalf of the twenty-four seasons; the three layers add up to twenty-eight on behalf of the twenty-eight astrological constellations; plus the top of the pillars of the eight children's columns on behalf of the thirty-six heavenly astrological deities; under the roof of the throne Lei Gongzhu, on behalf of the emperor's unity of the whole world. Its ancillary buildings are Huangqian Hall, Praying for the year door, God Treasury, God Kitchen, Zaijia Pavilion, burnt wood furnace, Dizikan, with the service platform, walk the animal road and 72 promenade, and so on. Promenade south of the square has seven stars stone, stone carved mountain cloud pattern, is placed in the town of Ming Jiajing stone.

This hall is located in an area of more than 5,900 square meters of round alabaster pedestal, the pedestal is divided into three layers, 6 meters high, each layer has carved alabaster railing. This pedestal and the hall are inseparable from the artistic whole. When visitors step out of the Hall of Prayer, looking south, only to see the straight tunnel, stretching south, all the way to the porch heavy, the farther the smaller, endless, there is a kind of feeling from the sky down. No wonder a French architectural expert said after visiting the Temple of Heaven: skyscrapers much higher than the Hall of Prayer, but not the Hall of Prayer that kind of lofty and profound mood, can not reach the Hall of Prayer's artistic height. This hall in 1889 (Qing Guangxu fifteen years) was struck by lightning fire burned, it is said that the hall of the pillar is made of incense wood, burning, the smell of incense, miles away can be smelled. In the following year, the emperor summoned his ministers to discuss the reconstruction of the Hall of Prayer for the Year of the Dragon. Because they could not find any drawings, the Ministry of Public Works, which is in charge of national construction affairs, called the craftsmen who had participated in the restoration of the Hall of Prayers, and asked them to make drawings based on their memories and dictations, and then constructed the building. Therefore, the current Prayer Hall is the Qing Dynasty Guangxu years of construction, however, the basic architectural form, structure, still retains the appearance of the Ming Dynasty.

Nine Dragons Algae Well Inside the Hall of Prayer, the ceiling is a delicate "nine dragons Algae Well", the Dragon Well columns are painted in gold. In the center of the hall there is a flat round marble, stone surface pattern, is the natural formation of the dragon and phoenix pattern, a row of dragons holding a phoenix, this is the "dragon and phoenix stone", that is, "dragon and phoenix present auspiciousness". Legend has it that the stone originally only phoenix pattern, and the top of the temple well only carved dragon, over the years, the dragon, phoenix inspiration, the golden dragon often fly down to find phoenix stone on the phoenix to find joy. Unexpectedly met one day is the emperor Jiajing to sacrifice to heaven, kneeling on the stone salute, the golden dragon can not fly back in time, and the stone on the phoenix together with the emperor was pressed into the round stone inside the emperor Jiajing, and never come out, and from then on to become a deep and a shallow dragon and phoenix stone. 1889 pray for the year the temple was burned, this piece of the dragon and phoenix stone by the fire burned a day and night, although the stone is not burned to pieces, but the dragon pattern was burned into the light black, phoenix pattern was burned to blur. The stone was burned for a day and night. In front of the Hall of Prayer for the Year of the Dragon, there are nine rooms in each of the east and west side halls, known as the east hiatus and the west hiatus, which are the repositories for the collection of the tablets of the gods. The Ming Dynasty, in addition to praying to the Emperor God, but also with the Imperial Zhu ancestors, as well as the sun, the moon, five stars, east, west, south, north, the five major yue, five small yue of the five towns, the four seas, four blasphemies (rivers and lakes), the winds and clouds, thunder and rain, mountains, rivers, taiyou, the gods of Taoism, and emperors and kings