峰的共享空间

The Temple of Heaven was the place where the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties would worship Heaven and pray for bumper harvests. The northern part of the outer surrounding wall is semi-circular in shape while the southern part is square. This is a pattern symbolic of the ancient belief that Heaven was round and the earth square. The double surrounding wall separates the temple into two parts–the inner and outer temples. The whole area is 273 hectares. The inner temple is also partitioned by a wall into two groups of buildings: The north structure is the Altar of Praying for Bumper Harvests with the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests as the principal building used to pray in spring for bumper harvests； The south structure is the Circular Mound Altar used to worship Heaven at the winter solstice. The principal structure there is a large round marble terrace named the Circular Mound. The two altars, connected by a 360-metre-long raised walk called the Red Stairway Bridge, are laid out on a north-south axis 1,200 meters long and flanked by century-old cypresses in a spacious area.

Built first in 1420, the Temple of Heaven is a grand and magnificent masterpiece of architecture with a formal and solemn environment. As a masterpiece of the Ming and Qing architectural art and a precious example of China’s ancient architecture, the Temple of Heaven is the largest surviving architectural relic that was used for Heavenly worship.

1. Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests: A circular building with a connected altar and hall.  The 5.6-meter-high altar has three levels. These have a respective diameter of 91m on the lower level, 80m on the middle and 68m on the upper level.

2. The Imperial Vault of Heaven: A place where spirit tablets are placed and enshrined. The circular wall, which is 3.72m tall and 0.9m thick, is the well-known "Echo Wall".

3. The Circular Mound which symbolizes heaven has three platforms with a total height of 5.17m. The diameter of the lower platform is 54.92m and that of the upper is 23.65m. There is a circular stone in the center, with nine rings of stone slabs -- the first ring consists of nine slabs, the second ring has 18, and the third has 27 while the outermost row consists of 81 slabs.

Apart from the complex of immovable palace buildings, the Palace Museum houses over 1.5 million items or sets of relics. Over 8,000 of them are designated as first-class relics.

Key attractions:

The Meridian Gate: This is the main gate of the Forbidden City. It sits on the north-south axis of the city. It was built in 1420, or the 18^th year of Emperor Yongle’s reign in the Ming Dynasty. It was the place where imperial edictsor calendars were issued.

The Hall of Great Harmony: This is the largest and most prestigious building in the Forbidden City. It was built in 1420. It was here that 24 Ming and Qing emperors were crowned.

The turrets: These are located at the four corners of the Forbidden City. They were built in 1420. They are so architecturally complex that, as folklore has it, each has 9 beams, 18 pillars, and 72 roof ridges.

The Hall of Heavenly Purity: This is the first of the three halls of the inner court. It was first built in 1420. fourteen emperors, from Zhudi to Zhu Youjian, had lived here.

The Hall of Military Prowess: This Hall was first built in the early Ming Dynasty. It is located to the west of the Xihe Gate of the outer court. Starting from the 40^th year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign, a great number of books and pictures had been

printed here. Known as ‘the Hall edition’, they are highly valued for their exquisite, elegant workmanship.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation:This Hall was built during Emperor Jiajing’s reign in the Ming Dynasty. It is located to the west of the Hall of Heavenly Purity in the inner court. During the Qing Dynasty, eight emperors lived here. It was also the place where the Empress Dowagers Cixi and Ci’an “held court from behind a screen”.

There are about 50 days left before Beijing Olympic Games’ OPenning.

There will be lots of foreign friends coming to Beijing and China to enjoy the great time.

Beijing is a beautiful city with a very long history. It has many beautiful sceneries, marvelous buildings, luxury foods, interesting performances, etc. You can find introductions to Beijing in many places easily, but as the host of Beijing, in this space, I will take you to some special places you can hardly find and you will love it very much, for it’s so Chinese, so special, and so nice.

From now on, I will take you to some secret places only the real host know before you come.

I bet you will like my guidance.

Let’s go~~~~~