The Temple Of Heaven Essay, Research Paper

The Temple of Heaven is located in the sou’-east of Beijing. It was built in 1420 and expanded under the Qing emperors. The Temple of Heaven was founded in the first half of the fifteenth century. It is a well-thought-of composite of all right cult edifices set in gardens and is surrounded by historic pinewoods.

The Temple of Heaven has become the symbol of Beijing. The temple represents the flawlessness of the Ming Dynasties architecture. The form, coloring material and sound have symbolic importance. It is designed for the Communion between Eden and Earth.

The Temple of Heaven is a topographic point where dynastic swayers in China worshiped heaven. Chinese emperors called themselves Tianzi or boies of Eden. They had domination to heaven by footings of staying. The Temple of Heaven originally functioned as a big phase of solemn rites performed by the boy of Eden. They came to the temple to pray for good crop, seek Godhead clearance, and atone for the wickednesss of the people. Emperors each twelvemonth offered forfeits to heaven. The Temple of Heaven is believed to be the closest topographic point to heaven.

Every twelvemonth in winter solstice and in the first month of the lunar calender ( December and January or February in the solar calender ) . Ming and Qing emperors came to idolize and offer forfeits to heaven and pray for good crop. It is now the largest architectural group where sacrificial ceremonials were held.

An of import portion of Chinese architecture was to make a universe in between Humankind and God. Chinese architecture extends harmonization between the edifice with its site. The entryway is determined by the ancient art of Feng Shui and its respect to religious influence with environmental characteristics such as mountains and rivers.

The Hall of Prayers was used by emperors to pray for Good Crops. The chief temple hall is a round wooden and brick construction, with a ternary conelike ( cone ) roof set with deep blue glazed tiles to reflect the sky. The hall is supported by 28 wooden

pillars. It is called the beamless hall. The ceiling is attractively painted in forms of traditional Chinese manner. The hall is really symbolic. The 12 outer columns base for the 12 months of the twelvemonth. The four columns in the Centre represent the four seasons, and the square beam on the top of the column is Earth, which is topped by a unit of ammunition beam stand foring heaven. This is a signifier of Chinese traditional belief, that Eden was round and the Earth was square. The firedrake symbolises strength and the Phoenix symbolises peace.

The South if the Hall is the Round Mound Altar. It is another celebrated edifice in the park. This site is where the emperors of the Dynasties held ceremonials and offered forfeits to heaven. Looking from the sky the Altar consists of 3 homocentric circles all of different diameters.

Originally the temple of Heaven had merely one chief gate. This gate faced the West, but after the park was made populace in 1949, entrywaies were opened on the northern, southern and eastern side.

Partss of the Tiantan ( The Temple of Heaven )

* The Danibi Bridge is the chief route to acquire into the temple. It is 360 metres long and 29.4 metres broad.

* The Imperial Vault of Heaven is where the wooden tablets were kept for worship. It is wholly built of wood and is sustained by eight pillars.

* The Echo Wall is one of the most impressive sites at the park. If one individual speaks against the wall at one terminal, another individual can hear the voice at the other terminal.

* The Nine-Dragon Cypress tree was planted outside the Echo Wall 500 old ages ago. The subdivisions look like nine firedrakes.

* The geometry of the Circular Mount Altar revolves around the figure nine.

* The Hall of Abstinence is a hall on a white marble infrastructure of bricks without a pillar or beam. The emperor used the hall to accept tribunal functionaries. The Sweet Spring Well is outside the hall. The H2O signifier the good tasted Sweet and was used to do soup for the sacrificial rite.