The Temple of Heaven (Tiantan in Chinese) is located in Beijing, and was the site where emperors of the Ming (1368-1644) and Q'ing (1644-1911) Dynasties prayed to heaven for a bountiful harvest and for a good year. It is one of the most beautiful of all ancient Chinese buildings, with its graceful architecture, circular design and delicately upturned roofs. It is also the largest temple in China, covering 273 hectares. Click here for an aerial view of the entire complex (photo not by Dr. Vess).

 

The main buildings of the Temple of Heaven are laid out along a north-south axis; traditionally in China, only the emperor faces south. This north-south alignment is in accordance with the principles of Feng Shui, an art which seeks to align things in accordance with the rhythm of the universe and to dispel evil spirits. In the Temple of Heaven complex, the northern structures are also higher and rounder than the southern structures, symbolizing the Chinese belief that heaven was circular and higher than earth. The entire complex is surrounded by a square-shaped wall. Squares symbolize the earth in Chinese culture, and so the Temple of Heaven is a place where heaven meets earth. Here, contact with heaven is mediated by the strongest power of earth, the emperor.

On the 15th of the first lunar month, the emperor held a ceremony at the Altar Prayer for Good Harvests. On the summer solstice, around June 21, the emperor would pray for rain from the Circular Mound Altar. The emperor would return to the Circular Mound altar on the winter solstice (around the 23d of the twelfth lunar month) to report a good harvest to the heavens. The heavens were worshipped, including the sun, moon, and stars, and also wind, rain, clouds, and thunder. The ancestors were also worshipped. You will recall from the previous chapters that the ancient sage Confucius taught that this tradition was the heart of the Chinese moral system.

The emperor's ritual began at the Fasting Palace, which is rectangular in shape and surrounded by inner and outer walls. It faces east, and covers 40,000 square meters. There are more than sixty rooms in the palace, and this was where the emperor bathed and fasted before worshipping heaven. The emperor stayed here for three days and nights alone before the ritual, and had to abstain from meat, wine, and women. He also left his other duties behind in order to focus on heaven.

From the fasting palace, the emperor would proceed up the Danbi bridge, which rose from 1 meter in the south to four meters high in the north; therefore, the emperor physically and metaphorically ascended to the heavens during the ritual. Since it led to heaven, it was called the "divine road." The left side of the road was for the emperor, while the right was for princes and dukes.

The emperor then crossed into the Altar of Prayer for Good Harvests (Qiniandian in Chinese) complex, first constructed in 1420 C.E. and then later rebuilt. Click here for an aerial view of the altar. (photo not by Dr. Vess) The altar is a wooden building, and is considered a true masterpiece of wooden architecture. It was built entirely without nails or bricks, and the interior is supported by pillars rather than by beams. Its conical roof is covered with glazed blue tiles, symbolizing the Chinese belief that heaven was blue and round. It is 9 zhang (1 zhang=3.33 meters) and 9 chi (1 chi=0.33 meters) high. The Chinese believed that odd numbers corresponded to the sun and were heavenly. Nine is the most powerful of the odd numbers, as they believed that heaven had nine layers. The altar is in three-tiers, and each fringe has balustrades that are decorated by clouds, phoenixes, and dragons, respectfully from bottom to top. According to Chinese mythology, good luck comes when the dragon and phoenix come together, and clouds symbolize great fortune. The ceiling of the altar is decorated with the dragon and the phoenix.

On the summer solstice, around June 21, the emperor would return to the Temple of Heaven and pray for rain from the Circular Mound Altar. Click here for an excellent view from the ground. (photo not by Dr. Vess) This structure was built sometime around 1530. It is enclosed by two walls -- an inner wall which is round for the heavens and an outer wall, which is square for the earth. It is constructed in three layers, each divided by a flight of nine steps. Nine is an important number in Chinese culture and symbolizes the heavens, as the heavenly emperor was believed to live in the ninth tier of heaven. Again, the bottom level is decorated with clouds, the middle with the phoenix, and the top with the dragon.

Click here for a view of the balustrades as seen from the top level of the Circular Mound Altar. Click here for a close-up view (this photo not by Dr. Vess). Click here for a closeup of a balustrade showing the dragon design.

In the center is the Heavenly Heart Slab, on which the emperor stood to report to heaven. It is in the center of nine radiating slabs of stone, surrounded by another layer of eighteen radiating stones, then a layer of 27 radiating stones, until the last layer of eighty-one stones. Each layer of the altar is also built upon the same scheme of radiating stones. Each layer, then, is multiple of nine. The acoustics from the center stone on the top layer are very sensitive, make one's voice more resonant and carry a whisper very far. This was one reason why the emperor's prayers were believed to actually reach up into heaven.

 

The Imperial Vault of Heaven as seen from the Circular Mound Altar

 

The Circular Mound Altar is connected to the Imperial Vault of Heaven, another circular wooden structure without interior beams or nails. This structure contained the tablets commemorating the emperor's ancestors. This building is surrounded by a round wall, which is known as the echo wall. One can stand anywhere along the wall and whisper, and the whisper can be heard at any point on the wall. Click here to see one of the pavilions of the Imperial Vault of Heaven, which was used to worship the sun, moon, and other natural elements.

The Temple of Heaven is a monumental example of Chinese architecture during the Ming Dynasty, whose name meant "the brilliant dynasty." It is also clearly an example of the use of art to express the power of the emperor as mediator with the heavens, and the power of heaven itself.

To continue exploring the wonders of Ming architecture, go to the next page in this unit Art and the State in China: The Forbidden City.

 

You may want to further explore some of the following materials:

 

Feng Shui: Geomancy Net

The Ultimate Feng Shui Source

The Feng Shui Web Index

China: Virtual Tours/ The Temple of Heaven

This site has nice pictures with short identifications and a nice map of the layout of the site.

The Temple of Heaven: An Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing

Unesco site.

To continue exploring the wonders of Ming architecture, go to the next page in this unit Art and the State in China: The Forbidden City.