By Molly Downing

History The Temple of Heaven, literally the Altar of Heaven The temple complex was constructed from 1406 to 1420 during the reign of the Yongle Emperor, who was also responsible for the construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing The Jiajing Emperor built three other prominent temples in Beijing, the Temple of Sun in the east ( ), the Temple of Earth in the north ( ), and the Temple of Moon in the west ( ). Temple of SunTemple of EarthTemple of Moon As Chinese emperors called themselves 'The Son of Heaven',they dared not to build their own dwelling, Forbidden City' bigger than a dwelling for Heaven. The northern part within the wall is semicircular symbolizing the heavens and the southern part is square symbolizing the earth. The northern part is higher than the southern part.

Continued …… This design shows that the heaven is high and the earth is low and the design reflected an ancient Chinese thought of 'The heaven is round and the earth is square'. The emperors in the past believed that they could go to heaven through this Bridge, which is why this bridge is also called Sacred Way The Temple of Heaven is also a very popular park for exercising, and particularly for practicing taiji bailong ball. In ancient China, the Emperor of China was regarded as the Son of Heaven, who administered earthly matters on behalf of, and representing, heavenly authority. To be seen to be showing respect to the source of his authority, in the form of sacrifices to heaven, was extremely important.ChinaEmperor of ChinaSon of Heavensacrifices

More Pictures The Circular Mound where they made sacrifices The Earthly Mount

Historical Background of Temple of Heaven The popular temple was originally constructed for the emperors of the Qing and Ming dynasties to worship certain gods and make sacrifices. Originally the gods of Earth, Agriculture, Military, Water, Religion, and Civilians were all worshipped at the Temple of Heaven. Today the Temple of Heaven is a publicly visited park that was made accessible to the public in The park is popular to tourists and residents alike. It is twice the size of the Forbidden City, 2.75 million square meters, and is incredibly large and beautiful for it is said to represent heaven on earth.

The Temple of the Moon and Sun The Temple of Moon was built in 1530 during the Ming dynasty. It was created so that the Emperor and priests could sacrifice and worship the moon gods. This particular temple has a cave located inside of it which consists of an altar used to be utilized for sacrifice, prayer, and worshipping. The Temple of Moon apparently gets its name in the English language because of the way in which the moon light radiates inside the cave, glowing magnificently. It was built so that the God of the Sun could be properly worshiped by high up religious officials, and the Emperor. The temple was used in this manner for many years until it was opened up as a park and tourist attraction in The park now consists of many different areas, some of which are restored religious altars while some are newly built figures, such as a fishing pond, and amusement park.

Pictures The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is one of Beijing's most famous architectural landmarks

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