Architecture Science

Hello, and welcome back to our course series. In the previous episode, we studied the Forbidden City together. In this episode, we will learn more about the second large attraction building on the axis——the Temple of Heaven。For the ancient emperors, the Temple of Heaven was one of the most important buildings for worship, where emperors would pray for good weather in the coming year.

Emperor Zhu Di ordered the construction of the "Temple of Heaven and Earth" in Beijing modeled after the Temple of Heaven and Earth in Nanjing, which was used for offering sacrifices to heaven and earth. After that, here alone assumed the role of the worship of heaven, and renamed "Temple of Heaven" the task of offering sacrifices to the earth by the temple of Earth. The Temple of Heaven has a history of 600 years, and the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties held sacrifices here.

The Temple of Heaven and the Temple of Agriculture are symmetrical along the central axis, and this layout conforms to the ancient tradition of "worship to the sky in the southern suburbs", and also the same orientation as the sun rises, which reflects the ancient people's respect for nature。

Through the long corridor to the Temple of Heaven's main building - Hall of Prayer for Good harvests!It is a place to pray for grain harvest. with glazed tiles covering three eaves and three layers of Han white stairs. The blue glazed tiles symbolize the blue sky, and the round hall seems to be really connected with the sky, in line with the saying "the earth was squre and heaven was round".

Continuing along the Central Axis, we arrive at the the Circular Mound.It served as a place for emperors to holding the ceremony of worshipping Heaven at the winter solstice every year.The numbers of steps of each leading flight, the slabs of each tier, and the balustrades are nine or nine multiples, emphasizing its supreme impor-tance.

The layout of the Temple of Heaven is symmetrically distributed along the central axis. This symmetry reflects the aesthetic concepts of ancient Chinese architecture, symbolizing the harmony and unity between heaven and earth。The Circular Mound Altar and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests are the two core buildings of the Temple of Heaven. Their circular structures and symmetrical layout reflect the ancient Chinese cosmology of "heaven is round and earth is square".

In the Temple of Heaven, people's respect for nature can be seen everywhere.

For example, the four Longjing pillars in the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest symbolize the four seasons. The 12 columns in the middle layer symbolize the 12 months of the year. The seven star stone in the grass on the south side of the seventy-second corridor symbolizes the seven veins of Mount Tai.

The Temple of Heaven, this ancient complex of buildings, has witnessed countless changes in history. It stands quietly on the central axis of Beijing, telling stories of the past and welcoming the hope of the future.

Today, we walk into the Temple of Heaven, feel its unique historical color and architectural charm, and learn its important position on the Central Axis. In the next episode, we will continue our exploration of the other cultural treasures along the Beijing Central Axis. Stay tuned!