BEIJING (Day 3 - part 2)

Imperial Vault of Heaven

Huangqiongyu (Imperial Vault of Heaven) was originally built in 1530 and rebuilt in 1752. Its structure is made from wood and brick. Here is where the memorial tablets dedicated to the gods were kept. During each winter solstice, the tablets were brought to the Circular Mound Altar for the Worshipping Heaven Ceremony. After the ceremony, the tablets were returned.

Outside the temple:

The park is famous for its cypress trees. There are more than 60,000 cypress trees in all, among which over 4,000 are more than 100 years old.


The Nine-Dragon Cypress tree is over 500 years old and believed to have special powers. Its thick branches and twisting trunk are said to resemble nine coiling playful dragons.


The temple is surrounded by a smooth circular wall, the Echo Wall.


The Gate of Glazed Tiles

Echo Wall (Huiyinbi):

Only after the circular wall surrounding the complex was complete, was it realized that it carried sound. A mere whisper at any point close to the wall can be heard clearly on the other side.


The wall and the Gate of Glazed Tiles


Testing the wall


Our guides, Mark and Tony

The temple

The temple itself was built in a circular shape (representing heaven).


The temple sat on a single-level marble stone base.


The carved marble ramp on the front staircase shows 'Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl'.


The 8 pillars of the inner ring are painted scarlet and decorated with golden lotuses.

The chambers

Two square chambers contained the different tablets used for worship. The left chamber contained tablets of the gods of basic elements including gold, wood, water, fire and earth. The right chamber contained those of natural phonemena including wind, rain, thunder, lightning, etc.


A view inside


Imperial roof decorations

Circular Mound Altar

The Circular Mound Altar (Huanqiutan) was built in 1530 by the Jiajing Emperor and rebuilt in 1740. It served as an exclusive altar for the Ming and Qing Dynasty emperors.

On the afternoon of the ceremony, the emperor would wear his ritual costume and be escorted by close to one thousand courtiers, princes of royal blood, musicians, dancers and uniformed soldiers. He would slowly ascend the three terraces to pay tribute at the altar. Among the gods worshiped originally were the god of earth, the god of water, the god of agriculture (who also has his own hall - the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests), the god of the military, the god of religion and the god of civilians. When the service drew to a close, a sacrificial calf would be incinerated in front of the memorial tablets. After music and dancing, the emperor would return to the Forbidden City, secure in the belief that he would be blessed and protected by heaven until the next winter solstice.


A layout of the complex, again showing the significance of circles (heaven) and squares (earth).

Approaching the altar:

There are two walls that encircle the altar. Both are red and capped with blue tiles. The outer wall is square while the inner wall is round.


Approaching the inner wall


A view from in between the two walls

Ascending:


Each terrace has a flight of 9 steps. Even the number of carved balustrades on these terraces is a multiple of 9.

According to ancient Chinese philosophy, heaven and the odd numbers belonged to yang, while the earth and even numbers belonged to yin. Nine was the largest heavenly number accessible to man. They also believed that heaven consisted of nine layers and that the emperor's abode was on the uppermost tier.


Looking north at the Imperial Vault of Heaven, and behind it the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests

All of the structures in the temple complex are aligned on a north-south central axis, flanked by buildings to the east and west. The temple complex was constructed according to the dictates of feng shui (literally translated as "wind-water"), an ancient system of aesthetics believed to use the laws of both heaven (astronomy) and earth (geography) to help one improve life by receiving positive qi or ch'i (frequently translated as "energy flow", but a more literal translation is "breath").


Looking south toward Zhaoheng Gate


Giant heavenly lanterns would hang from these poles. Up until 1920, there were still three left.

The stone in the middle of the altar was was where the emperor used to stand to say his prayer. Known as Tianxingshi (Heaven’s Heart Stone), it is surrounded by nine concentric circles.


I demonstrate how a mere commoner can now stand where once only the emperor of China could set foot.

Departing:


Passing through Chengzhen Gate on the Imperial Walkway Bridge back toward the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. Both the Gate of Prayer for Good Harvest and the top of the temple can be seen in the background.

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