Temple of Heaven: Circular Mound Altar

The Temple of Heaven Park is a vast green space in the heart of Beijing. It has the not-so-green Temple of Heaven, including its Circular Mound Altar structure as its centerpiece.  By no means is the Temple the only structure though. The buildings and surrounds are as vast as the park that they are set in.

The Temple of Heaven itself, originally built in 1420, was a place where the emperors of China worshiped. The vast compound measures a whopping 2.73 square kilometers. Its outer wall is built as a semi-circle in the north while the southern wall is square and is further surrounded by annular walls.

We head off to explore the various ancient architectural complexes that make up the park.

Circular Mound Altar

I pass through the jade cloud gates, and the Circular Mound rises before me. Built in 1530 during the ninth year of Emperor Jiajing’s reign in the Ming Dynasty, the altar served as a sacred site for worshipping Heaven. Each year, a special ceremony took place here during the winter solstice. The round terrace was originally covered with deep blue glazed slabs and later replaced with light green stone, encircled by a white marble balustrade. In 1749, during the fourteenth year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign in the Qing Dynasty, the structure was expanded to its present form.

The winter solstice strikes a chord with me and I feel a shiver despite the heat. This feels eerily similar to Stonehenge and some of the more remote pagan sites in England and Scotland.  I’m glad for the crowd as it would be decidedly creepy here with no one around.

Today, however, I enjoy good company and take my time exploring the structure. It features flights of steps, tiers, and balustrades, each arranged in groups of nine or multiples of nine. These groups of nine symbolize the nine layers of heaven and emphasize heaven’s supreme importance.

Good To Know

The Temple of Heaven Park is a large complex just to the south of central Beijing. You need time to explore all that the park has to offer. Wear comfortable shoes, carry some water with you and dress for the weather – it is extremely hot in summer and extremely cold in the winter months.

To explore other areas of the park, follow these links:

• The Imperial Vault of Heaven

Would I Return?

Yes. There is much to explore here and the park and temples are too vast to be able to take it all in in one visit.