Description
Venue: Temple of Heaven When: Daily
China's largest temple, the Temple of Heaven is an amazing complex of interconnected buildings enclosed by a gargantuan circular wall and a 273-hectare park in the Chongwen District, south of the Forbidden City and Tian'anmen Square.
Built in 1420, it was here that the Ming and Qing monarchs prayed for good harvests. In its overall layout the temple symbolises the relationship between Earth and Heaven - the human world and God's world - which stands at the heart of Chinese cosmogony, and also the special role played by the emperors within that relationship.
Major structures within the complex include the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, the Circular Altar, and the Palace of Abstinence.
The temple was endorsed as a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO in December 1998.