Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( Tiantan Gongyuan; Tiantan Donglu; admission park/through ticket ¥15/35,
audio tour available at each gate ¥40; park 6am-9pm, sights 8am-6pm;
Tiantandongmen)
A tranquil oasis of peace and methodical Confucian design
in one of China's busiest urban landscapes, the 267-hectare Temple of
Heaven Park is encompassed by a long wall with a gate at each compass
point.
Although not strictly speaking a temple, the Chinese name means 'Altar of
Heaven', so don't expect burning incense or worshippers, it originally served
as a vast stage for solemn rites performed by the Son of Heaven (a title be-
stowed on the emperor of the time), who prayed here for good harvests and
sought divine clearance and atonement.
Around 4000 ancient, knotted cypresses (some 800 years old, their
branches propped up on poles) poke towards the Beijing skies within the
grounds.
Seen from above, the temple halls are round and the bases square, in ac-
cordance with the notion 'Tianyuan Difang' - 'Heaven is round, Earth is
square'. Also observe that the northern rim of the park is semicircular, while its
southern end is square.
The traditional approach to the temple was from the south, via
Zhaoheng
Gate
( Zhaoheng Men); the north gate is an architectural afterthought.
Central Structures
The feature of the park, and an icon of Beijing in its own right, is the
Hall of
¥20)
, an astonishing structure with a triple-eaved purplish-blue umbrella roof
mounted on a three-tiered marble terrace. The wooden pillars (made from
Oregon fir) support the ceiling without nails or cement - for a building 38m
high and 30m in diameter, that's quite an accomplishment. Embedded in the
ceiling is a carved dragon, a symbol of the emperor. Built in 1420, the hall was
reduced to carbon in 1889 after being zapped by a lightning bolt during the
reign of Guangxu; a faithful reproduction based on Ming architectural methods
was erected the following year.
Continuing south along an elevated imperial pathway, you soon reach the
