The Temple of Heaven, originally known as the Temple of Heaven and Earth, is a beautiful and ornate group of buildings that comprise a Taoist worship site in Beijing, China. The temple was built between 1406- 1420 during the Ming Dynasty under the reign of Emperor Yong Le (Yong Le also oversaw the construction of the Forbidden City during this time as well). Later, under the rule of Emperor Jia Jing, the Temple became the Temple of Heaven as separate complexes were built for the earth, sun, and moon.
The Temple of Heaven is a stunning complex that houses smaller altars and buildings, as well as gardens that combine architecture, symbolism, and numerology. Two very common geometric shapes are seen throughout the Temple. Circles often comprise the shape of the buildings, while squares contain the buildings whether it is the actual foundation or the perimeter of the buildings. This is symbolic in that circles represent Taoist conception of Heaven, because circles are infinite and do not contain boundaries, as the square does, which represents Earth. And so, here we see how architecture is a crucial connection between the spiritual world and the physical world. Color choice was also chosen carefully, as most of the roofs of the temple structures are tiled in blue, which also represents heaven and the sky, while the interior of many of the buildings is tiled in yellow, which represents the emperor. There are three main structures in the Temple of Heaven: the Altar of Heaven, which is a circular three tiered structure that stones arranged in groups of three or nine. Both of these numbers are significant in Chinese numerology, and the number nine represents the Emperor. The second structure is the Echo Wall and Imperial Vault of Heaven, so named because a person can clearly hear a whisper spoken at the other end of the wall. The Imperial Vault of Heaven contained the Emperor’s ancestral tablets and resembled a smaller version of the third structure within the Temple, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (pictured above). The Hall is a monumental three tiered wooden structure that sits atop a three tiered marble foundation. Here, once again, we see the number three as significant in the Chinese numerology. The hall is where the Emperor spent the majority of his time during the harvest ritual.
Historically, the Temple was used as a worship site for the Emperor to fast and commune with the gods to insure a good harvest. This began by a sacred bi-annual procession consisting of ministers, eunuchs, and the Emperor himself, who was regarded as the Son of the Harvest. It was forbidden for any common citizen to view the procession let alone enter the sacred Temple of Heaven complex. Inside, the Emperor would offer prayers and sacrifices to the gods in exchange for good fortune and harvest for the entire empire. Today, the Temple of Heaven has been transformed into a beautiful park where tourists and residents can come and enjoy the history and nature that is offered there. Musicians, Tai Chi masters, singers, kite flyers, dancers and game players are all part of current festivities taking place in the Temple today.
Sources:
http://www.kinabaloo.com/temple_of_heaven.html
http://www.cctv.com/lm/176/71/88864.html
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