(I nside the South Gate of the Templ e of Heaven)
Ladies and Gentl emen:
Wel e to the Templ e of Heaven. (After sel f-introduction) preserved
cul tural heritages of China. There are basical l y two kinds of visitors
who e here: l ocal pensioners who do exercises here in the morning and
evening and sightseers both from home and abroad. Al l in al l , there are
1 2 mil l ion visitors very year. Now we are going to go al ong the route that
l eads to the al tar. I t wil l take roughl y one hour. Mind you, the emperor
al so wal ked al ong this route to pay tribute to the God of Heaven.
(Al ong the Southern Sacred Road l eading to the Circul ar Mound Al tar)
The l argest group of architectures ever to be dedicated to Heaven, the
Templ e of Heaven served as an excl usive al tar for Chinese monarchs during
the Ming and Qing dynasties. I t was decreed that rul ers of successive
dynasties woul d pl ace al tars in their own capital s to worship Heaven and
pray for good harvest. But why?
The ancient Chinese bel ieved that Heaven was the supreme rul er of the
universe and the fate of mankind, and thus worshiping rites dedicated to
Heaven came into being.
The Heaven the ancient Chinese referred to was actual l y the Universe, or
nature. I n those days, there were specific rites of worship. This was
especial l y true during the Ming and Qing dynasties when el aborate
ceremonies were hel d.
The Templ e of Heaven was buil t in 1 420 during the reign of Emperor Yongl e
of the Ming Dynasty. Situated in the southern part of the city, this grand
set of structures covers an area of 273 hectares. To better symbol ize
heaven and earth, the northern part of the Templ e is circul ar whil e the
southern part is square . The whol e pound is encl osed by two wal l s, a square
wal l outside a round one. The outer area is characterized by suburban
scenery, whil e the inner part is used for sacrifices. The inner encl osure
consists of the Hal l of Prayer for Good Harvest and the Circul ar Mound
Al tar.
(Al ong the I mperial Passage l eading from the Southern Lattice Star Gate
in front of the Circul ar Mound Al tar)
The Circul ar Mound Al tar is encl osed by two wal l s, each containing four