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Home China Travel Guide Beijing Beijing Attractions Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven is seen as the most holy of Beijing's imperial temples. It has been described as "a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design".

The Temple of Heaven was where the emperor came every winter solstice to worship Heaven and to solemnly pray for a good harvest. Since his rule was legitimized by a perceived mandate from Heaven, a bad harvest could be interpreted as his fall from Heaven's favor and threaten the stability of his reign. So, it was not without a measure of self-interest that the emperor fervently prayed for a very good crop.

In line with the Confucianist revival during the Ming dynasty, the sacred harvest ceremony was combined with the emperor's worship of his ancestors. This embellishment was also, in effect, self interest on the part of the emperor. For according to the Confucian pattern of social organization, just as the emperor respected his ancestors, so a younger brother should respect an elder brother, a wife her husband, a son his father, and a nation's subjects their ruler. Incorporating ancestor worship within the most solemn ceremony of the imperial ritual calendar, indirectly reinforced the social philosophy that perpetuated the emperor's power.

The design of the Temple of Heaven complex, true to its sacred purpose, reflects the mystical cosmological laws believed to be central to the workings of the universe. Hence, complex numerological permutations operate within its design. For example, because the number nine was considered to be the most powerful digit, you will see that the slabs that form the Circular Altar have been lain in multiples of nine. Similarly within the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, the interior twenty-eight columns are divided into four central pillars to represent the seasons, twelve inner columns to represent the months and twelve outer columns to represent the two hour tranches that make up a day. There are many such examples of this intense numerology at play.

Although in imperial times commoners were not allowed to enter the enormous park, now for a minimal fee Chinese citizens can enjoy it all day long. Were you to visit at dawn you'd be surprised by the number of people there performing their morning exercises. Next to an older person practicing the slow and flowing movements of Tai Qi there might be a younger one performing vigorous karate-like punches and kicks. One group might be learning the ancient martial art of sword fighting, while another might be practising a traditional dance. Should you have the energy and the inclination, it is well worth waking up early one morning and visiting this park to watch such events take place.

Amongst Sir Isaac Newton's lesser known achievements in the seventeenth century was the design of a nail-less bridge at Queens College, Cambridge. I wonder how he'd have felt to have known that the Chinese had already built the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest on the same principle two hundred years earlier.

Tips: Early morning is the best time to visit The Temple of Heaven. You will have an interesting experience watching local people doing morning exercises, like dancing, walking, practicing tai chi or playing games, as you walk to the temple.

Any standard package tour of Beijing should include a visit to The Temple of Heaven. Click here for our Classic China Tours which take in this inspirational temple.

Temple of Heaven Facts

The Temple of Heaven located in the southeast of Beijing, was the place where royalty prayed for excellent weather and harvest. In Ming Dynasty (AD 1420), the emperor Zhuli built this Temple which covers an area of 2.72 million square meters. The Temple of Heaven has been listed as one of the World Cultural Relics by the UNESCO.

Chinese Pinyin: Tīan Tán

Location: Temple of Heaven is on the Southeast of Beijing.

Opening Hours: 8AM - 6PM

Ticket Price: Low Season Y10-30; High Season Y15-35

How to get to Temple of Heaven: Bus NO.3, 6, 17, 20, 35, 39, 54, 106, 116, 120, 122, 803.

Facts: Temple of Heaven was built in AD 1420 and located in the royal garden. It was surrounded by big pines. The overall arrangement and single building both reflected the relationship between sky and land and the relationship was the core of the Sense of Universe at that time. The emperors played an important role in the relationship.

One Day Beijing Temple of Heaven Tour from $89 p/p (based on travel party of 2-3 persons)