The Temple of Heaven also called the Heavenly Temple, which is situated in the southern part of the city. It was built in the Ming dynasty in 1420, encompassing 273 hectares (674 acres).The perimeter of the Temple of Heaven is 6,369 meters with 6 meters high.
The Temple of Heaven was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped heaven and prayed for good harvests. They came to the Temple twice a year, on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month and on Winter Solstice respectively. At beginning, both heaven and earth were worshipped here. But after 1530 when the Temple of Earth was built in the northern city, only heaven was worshipped here.
The temple of Heaven is considered as one of the greatest architectural structures in the world. Some environmental artists and gardeners describe the temple as a place where people can talk to the heaven. In Beijing, four imperial temples were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). At the southern end of the city is the Temple of Heaven. It is the most important of the four. The other three are the Altar of the Earth in the north, the Altar of the Moon in the west, and the Altar of the Sun in the east, which locates right behind Beijing Friendship Store. All of them are still standing, but the Temple of Heaven is the largest group of temple buildings of its kind in China, nearly four times larger than the Forbidden City. The whole building complex was designed in a way that makes you feel close to heaven. In making the heaven-like structures, the designers made good use of color, sound, geometric figures lf the circle and the square, and changes in height. The combination of building and garden helps make it appear mysterious and magical.
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