China 2001 - Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven

Completed in 1420, the grounds of the Temple of Heaven are actually larger than the imperial palace. It is located about a mile south of the palace. Once or twice a year the emperor would emerge from the palace along with all his court. In a grand procession (from which commoners had to avert their eyes) He would proceed to the Temple, and offer sacrifices to Heaven. The magnificent building in which he performed this ritual is named (drum roll) "The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests." This gives me new respect for poets who are able to express beautiful thoughts in Chinese.

The entrance through the gardens was along a portico and then a covered walkway.

The Gates usually have the center passageway of three closed. It is reserved for the emperor.

There is a good view out towards the city from the top terrace.

The circular Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is placed atop three marble terraces. They represent the earth, the people, and the heavens. It burned down in 1889 and was rebuilt following authentic Ming methods (using no metal) in 1890.

The interior, 125 feet high, is supported by solid wooden columns

	The four tall columns represent the seasons and the directions. They came from Oregon in 1890.
	The 24 smaller columns have a special Feng Shui meaning which we forget.

I never did find out the meaning of these things that look like suckling calves, or maybe lions. They are inside the Hall.

This dragon looks to me as if he had relatives living in South America back in the fifteenth century!

The stairs had central panels of dragons (for the emperor) and phoenixes (for the empress.)

This game of Chinese chess gathered quite a few onlookers. The temple grounds are a very popular park for the people of Beijing.