Built in the early 1400's it is a series of buildings set
in gardens and surrounded by historic pine woods. Among the more famous
buildings are a prayer hall, an echo wall and a round alter. The emperor of
China was regarded as the Son of Heaven who was in charge of all earthly
matters and represented the heavenly authority. To show respect to the heavens
the emperor would perform sacrifices in these buildings. The most important
ceremony was at the winter solstice where the emperor would personally pray for
a good harvest.
The Temple of Heaven is in the middle of Beijing, it is in a park that covers 270 acres. Over 4000 cypresses were planted in the park some almost 800 years old. Unfortunately the morning we were there it rained and we did not get an opportunity to explore much of the park, I also did not take many pictures. It had a really nice feel and beauty, it would have been nice to walk around a little or have a picnic lunch there on a better day.
 |
| Temple of Heaven |
 |
| Margot giving a helping hand |
 |
| built of all wood using no nails |
 |
| looking from the alter to the echo wall |
No comments:
Post a Comment