The Temple of Heaven
The temple of heaven was built was built as a sign of ancient philosophy history and also religion. It was also built for the public to hold their annual ceremonies of prayer to heaven in order to have good harvests. The location of the temple of heaven is in Chongwen District, Beijing. This is the same place where the emperors of the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty used to have the Heaven Worship Ceremony. (Su, Ming Ming, and Geoffrey Wall) The temple of heaven is said to be located in a place where the earth meets the heaven. The colors of the ceilings and roofs which is blue represented the heaven.<\/p>
The Unique Design
The design of the structure of the temple of heaven is very unique. One of the unique aspects of the temple of heaven is the circular mound altar which is located to the south and has the conically roofed imperial vault of heaven. The structure of the temple also does not use nails to hold it up but instead uses wood joinery. The four pillars which are placed in the middle are nineteen points two meters and represent the four seasons. The two columns which surround the four pillars are put in place and well positioned to show the twelve months of the year and the twelve two hour units of the day. The dragons and phoenixes used in decorating the interior part also symbolize the emperor and the empress respectively. The magnificent caisson ceiling which is carved with nine dragons inside the temple is used in attracting visitors due to its uniqueness. The imperial vault of heaven has the Echo wall, three Echo stones and the Dialogue Stone which makes it famous due to their uniqueness and also attracts the visitors. (Su, Ming Ming, and Geoffrey Wall)<\/p>
Functionality of the Structure
The structure of the temple of heaven is perfectly designed for its function in that the location of the circular mound altar and the altar of prayer is in the same courtyard. The main part of the temple of heaven is the hall of the prayer of god which is the place used by the emperors in performing their annual sacrificial ceremonies praying to the heavenly god to provide them with good weather and harvests. (Su, Ming Ming, and Geoffrey Wall) The circular mound alter was used by the emperors for prayers made to the heaven and also they used the place to communicate to their heavenly gods. In order to get bumper harvests, the emperors used to pray in the altar of prayer for good harvests.<\/p>
Layout and Structure
The four entrances to the hall of the prayer of the good harvest are well located at the compass points and three more structures with supporting roles for the hall. At the southern area, there is the circular mound altar which carries the larger part of the temple of heaven and this is where sacrifices were made by the emperors each year during the day of winter. The imperial vault of heaven is located at the middle axis, to the north of circular mound altar and is used in housing the Gods tablets which are used at the heaven worship ceremony. The northern part and the southern part of the building are connected by the Danbi Bridge which is also known as the vermilion steps bridge. The emperors believed that they could use this bridge to reach heaven and therefore it was known as the sacred way. Just across the Danbi Bridge, there is the altar of prayer for good harvests which has a round roof and three-layered eaves. It is the place where the emperor used to pray for good weather and enough harvests. The palace of abstinence is located to the southwest of the altar of prayer for good harvests. (Su, Ming Ming, and Geoffrey Wall) The cardinal directions plays a big role in the temple of heaven building as they are used to show the location of the several different places such as the circular mound altar, imperial vault of heaven, the palace of abstinence etc. sunlight was not considered when making the space as all the parts are enclosed without any opening for the sunlight. One cannot access sunlight while inside the building and therefore it was not considered.<\/p>
Symbols and Meanings
The building of the temple of heaven has religious symbols and different shapes have different special meanings. For example, according the philosophy of the Chinese the shape of heaven was circle while that of the earth was a square and therefore the wall of the temple in the southern side which represents the earth as it has the shape of a square while the wall on the northern side represents the heaven due to its circle shape. (Su, Ming Ming, and Geoffrey Wall) The roof which is decorated with blue tiles and a top of golden sphere also represents the heaven. The presence of many trees inside the structure creates a cool environment which represents the harmony between man and nature.<\/p>
The Ancient Forest and History
There is an ancient forest within the complex of the temple of heaven which is made up of row ancient Chinese cypress trees. Most of these trees are more than six hundred years old. A good example is a nine-dragon cypress which has a history of almost six thousand years. The location of the imperial vault of heaven which is directly north of the circular altar is purposely for storing the ceremonial stone tablets. There are no relics inside the temple of heaven but the temple itself can be seen as a relic. The space where the temple of heaven was built was known as the Taishan Mountain and was the only altar known for heaven – earth worship during the ancient times. The emperors used the space to worship the heaven and also to pray for good harvests once in a year. The sacred harvest ceremony was also conducted here and the emperors could also worship their heavenly gods. The temple of heaven has currently been open to the public and anyone can visit it for a minimal fee. Most people use it for several exercises such as karate, practicing the slow and flowing movements of tai chi and or maybe practicing traditional dances. (Su, Ming Ming, and Geoffrey Wall)<\/p>
Sacred Spaces vs Charter Cathedrals
Sacred spaces are used to heal the human soul and help one to have peace of mind while the charter cathedral is only architectural works which act as a sacred place. The charter cathedral usually has a special saint for worshipping depending on the history of their land while in sacred places only the heavenly gods are worshipped. (Su, Ming Ming, and Geoffrey Wall)The two places have unique architectural designs which make them famous and attract more people. The two places were built in order to serve both religious and political roles. When people visit the sacred places for prayers they are relieved off their burdens and therefore get enough peace while in this place whereas the architectural designs of the charter cathedral excite people and this can also help in reducing their stress.<\/p>
Works cited
Su, Ming Ming, and Geoffrey Wall. "Residents’ recreational and social use of and perspectives on a World Heritage Site: Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China." Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change 15.1 (2017): 15-36.
