Since ancient times, the Chinese people greatly valued praying to gods for blessings and protection. Therefore, worshiping Heaven became a crucial and solemn national ceremony in ancient China. The Temple of Heaven was where the emperor worshiped Heaven and held a ritual to pray for good harvests.
Heaven is one of the core concepts in the traditional Chinese belief system, in which people generally hold onto the cosmic view that “man is an integral part of nature” and believe that “Heaven has eyes” and that everything obeys “Heaven’s will.”
To the ancients, Heaven, or the gods and emperors, held the power that dominated everything. People’s blessings and misfortunes, natural harvests, and so on were all controlled by this mysterious power.
Heaven advocates that people do good deeds. If a natural disaster happens on Earth, people always believe it’s a warning sign from Heaven for them to make corrections. When encountering a catastrophe, the ancients always said: “It’s Heaven’s punishment!”
The Temple of Heaven, located south of Beijing, was built during the Ming Dynasty, with construction starting in 1420. It was a place for the emperor to pray to Heaven but civilians were not allowed to worship there. However, it still drew peoples’ reverence and gratitude toward Heaven.
The Temple of Heaven is divided into an inner and outer altar. The inner altar has the southern and northern parts. The “Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests” in the north was used for praying for a good harvest year in spring, and the “Circular Mound Altar” in the south was used for worshiping Heaven on the winter solstice to express thanks for Heaven’s gifts and pray for good weather in the coming year.
Architectural features of the Temple of Heaven
With a rigorous layout, unique structure, and elegant decoration, the Temple of Heaven was a masterpiece in ancient Chinese architecture. Its area is as large as four times the Forbidden City, and it is surrounded by green pines and verdant cypresses. Their dark green color indicates reverence, remembrance, and prayer.
As a ritual building for the emperor to worship Heaven, the Temple of Heaven’s design was based on the idea of “revering Heaven and deities.” The construction techniques and the creation of the environment strongly demonstrated the ancients’ respect for Heaven.
Inspirations from the Temple of Heaven
The construction of the Temple of Heaven represents the ancient Chinese cultural essence of believing in Heaven, respecting gods, and integrating man and nature.
In ancient times, whenever the country suffered frequent natural and artificial catastrophes, epidemics, and famines, the emperor, who was as precious as “Heaven’s son,” had to perform sincere fasts, ablutions, and introspection first.
Then, he had to lead all the civil and military officials to the Temple of Heaven to pray to Heaven and issue a proclamation to take the blame on himself. It meant he needed to bear the heavy responsibility for the state’s revival and the survival of his people with sincere repentance and future reforms.
What the Temple of Heaven shows is the Chinese people’s reverence for Heaven, Earth, and nature. This type of thinking has become increasingly important in modern society with the frequent occurrences of natural and unnatural disasters. Man is a part of nature, and the interdependent relationship is innate. Only by having a sense of awe and gratitude toward nature can we protect it and establish a harmonious relationship with it so that humanity can live on Earth endlessly. This is the crucial revelation from the Temple of Heaven.
Translated by Joseph Wu
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