Easily one of the most recognized sites in Beijing, the Temple of Heaven was one of our top places to visit. The Temple is one of many religious and ceremonial buildings located in a sprawling park in the middle of Beijing. It served as a center of the Taoist religion and their rites of heaven worship. Twice a year, the Ming and Qing emperors and their courts would travel to the temple from the Forbidden City to perform highly ritualized ceremonies (including animal sacrifice, fasting and prayer) and ask for the blessing of a good harvest. The smallest mistake in protocol could mean a bad omen for the coming year.
Both the art and architecture of the temples was astounding. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest (pictured) is constructed completely of wood with no nails and most every feature of its design is symbolic to the ancient Chinese culture. The round shape of the temple and its midnight blue tiled roof symbolize heaven, the four inner pillars represent the four seasons and the twelve outer pillars the twelve months of the year. In the elaborate artwork, dragons and quantities of the number nine symbolize the emperor and might of the empire.
Our temple visit was relatively early in the morning, so we were treated to the sun sparkling off the tiles and gold art through the typical Beijing haze. The height and sheer size of almost every building often led us to stand heads tilted back and mouths agape before heading in for a closer view. We were also delighted to stroll through the wide, tree-lined lanes in the park and discover a double pagoda near an outcropping of rocks and massive moat surrounding the Hall of Fasting. (I wondered about its proximity to the altar where cattle was burned as a sacrifice – wouldn’t that make those fasting a bit hungry? Maybe that is why there is such an impressive moat :P).
Dragon Art inside the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest
Courtyard Hallway
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