Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven was laid down in 1420 at the same time as the Forbidden City: twice a year the emperors came out here to make offerings to Heaven and to ask for a harvest. The centre of the ensemble is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a round wooden building thirty-eight metres high under three tiers of blue tiles. It was put together without a single nail, and the twenty-eight supporting columns inside answer to the seasons, the months and the hours of the day. The whole plan is built on the opposition of circle and square, that is of Heaven and Earth, and on three-tiered marble terraces. Since 1918 the complex has been open as a park, and since 1998 it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

On the map