天坛

Introduction

The Temple of Heaven, in Dongcheng, Beijing, was the imperial altar where Ming and Qing emperors performed the annual rites of heaven-worship and prayer for harvest, begun in 1420 and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998. Laid out on the 'round heaven, square earth' cosmology — circular north, square south — across 273 hectares, it is the world's largest and best-preserved ancient sacrificial complex. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a triple-eaved blue-tiled circular roof, is an icon of Beijing; the Circular Mound Altar is a three-tier white-marble terrace for the winter-solstice rite; the Echo Wall and Triple Sound Stones show ancient acoustic ingenuity. Beyond architecture, the temple is a living stage of old Beijing — morning exercisers, opera and everyday life among ancient cypresses and stately halls.

✨ Highlights

🛈 Practical Info