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Importance Of The Temple Of Heaven

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Architecture is something we are observing, living and being in relation every day. However, it seems that we may only consider the modern architectures constructed nowadays but forget the importance to appreciate those ancient architectures, especially those ancient Chinese architectures we should be proud of. In this essay, Temple of Heaven in Beijing is going to be discussed and evaluated.

According to Your Beijing China Travel Guide, a famous website introducing different tourist spots in Beijing to foreigners, the Temple of Heaven is now located in the Chongwen District, Beijing. It was where emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) held the Heaven Worship Ceremony. It was first built in 1420 was enlarged and rebuilt during the reigns of the Ming emperor Jiajing and the Qing emperor Qianlong (Your Beijing …show more content…

It is actually the Temple of Heaven in the practical sense. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the emperors would offer sacrifice here to the Heaven on the day of the Winter Solstice in every year. Imperial Vault of Heaven was constructed along the middle axis, locating at the north of the Altar to Heaven. It is the place housing the Gods’ tablets to be used at the Heaven Worship Ceremony. It is famous for the surrounding Echo Wall, and also the Three Echo Stones and the Dialogue Stone, which are all utilizing the theory of sound wave, showing the intelligence of constructions. Crossing the Danbi Bridge from the Imperial Vault of Heaven, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is presented. It is a big palace with round roof and three layers of eaves, where the emperor held the worship ceremonies to pray for good weather and abundant harvests. It is the earliest building of the Temple of Heaven. It is a complex consisting of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Altar for Grain

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