Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven is one of the most famous sightseeing highlights in Beijing. While the temple is already a highlight, the surrounding park is also a masterpiece in Chinese landscaping. Well, the park with the temple locates in the southeast of Beijing. The traffic in Beijing is always a problem.  It takes a while of time to struggle with the traffic.

With an excellent guide, it’s easy to get explanations about Chinese culture and history. It becomes also easy to understand the meaning of the building and sculptures. The Temple of Heaven is a highlight in Chinese culture, architecture and landscaping.

Two times per year the emperor moved from the Forbidden City to the temple. Where he prayed for a good harvest. That is one of the main purposes of the temple.

The temple hall itself is of a round shape. While the other three halls have a square shape. Squares and circles symbolise Earth and Heaven in Chinese religion and mythology. This entire arrangement should reflect the connection between earth and heaven. In other words, it demonstrates the power of the emperor and the connection to god.

The roof has dark blue roof tiles. This colour characterises heaven. However, four dragons symbolise each of the four seasons. Other symbols are for the twelve months and the twelve hours of the day. All of that is part of an annual ceremony, celebrated by the emperor.

The construction of the temple began in the 14th century. Later in the 16th century, the temple was extended. Finally, the last renovation was in the 18th century. The temple area surrounds a beautiful huge park. It’s obvious, that Chinese people like to spend their time in this park. Chess, sport or just enjoying a walk, the park has a lot of possibilities for recreation.

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