The Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven，literally the Altar of Heaven，is a complex of religious buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing.The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest.It was constructed from 1406 to 1420 during the reign of the Yongle Emperor，who was also responsible for the construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing.The complex was extended and renamed Temple of Heaven during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor in the 16th century.The Temple of Heaven was renovated in the 18th century under the Qianlong Emperor.Due to the deterioration of state budget，this became the last large-scale renovation of the temple complex in the imperial time.

The Temple of Heaven was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.The surroundings of the Temple of Heaven are now a very popular park for exercising.The Temple grounds cover 2.73 km2of parkland and comprises three main groups of constructions，all built according to strict philosophical requirements：

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a magnificent triple-gabled circular building，36 meters-in diameter and 38 meters tall，built on three levels of marble stone base，where the Emperor prayed for good harvests.The building is completely wooden，with no nails.

The original building was burned down by a fire caused by lightning in 1889.The current building was rebuilt several years after the incident.

The Imperial Vault of Heaven is located south of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and resembles it，but is smaller.It is surrounded by a smooth circular wall，the Echo Wall，that can transmit sounds over large distances.The Circular Mound Altar is the altar proper，located south of the Imperial Vault of Heaven.The numbers of various elements of the Altar，including its balusters and steps，are either the sacred number nine or its nonuples.

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