Temple of Heaven

Contexto cultural

The Temple of Heaven was built in 1420, the 18th year of the Ming Yongle reign, as the place where Ming and Qing emperors worshipped Heaven and prayed for good harvests; first called the Temple of Heaven and Earth, it was renamed in 1534, the 13th year of the Jiajing reign. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests has a triple-eaved conical roof 38 m high, built without great beams or long purlins and supported by 28 columns: the inner 4 Dragon Well Pillars represent the four seasons, the middle 12 gilded columns the twelve months, and the outer 12 eave columns the twelve two-hour periods of the day — the pinnacle of Chinese ritual architecture. The Circular Mound, the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the Echo Wall line the north–south axis, turning the cosmology of 'round heaven, square earth' into architecture. It became a World Heritage Site in 1998.

Costumbres locales

Today the Temple of Heaven is Beijing's 'big living room': at dawn people spin diabolos, kick shuttlecocks, sing Peking opera and practise tai chi, full of everyday bustle. Someone is always testing the Echo Wall, and the people photographing themselves on the Triple-Sound Stones are mostly out-of-towners — old Beijingers just smile.

Religión y creencias

• Originally an imperial site for the ritual worship of Heaven, now a secular park. The Hall of Abstinence and the Divine Music Office are historic remains, so be respectful
• the winter-solstice performance of ritual music each year is a cultural show, not a religious ceremony.

Normas que se aplican aquí

Consejos de viaje

• Early morning (6–8 a.m.) is when local life is liveliest, the best time to experience the 'human' Temple of Heaven
• the Hall of Prayer, Circular Mound and Echo Wall share a combined ticket, so check each sight's opening hours
• the park is large, so enter by the south gate and leave by the north. Check tickets and opening hours on the official website.