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Stories Behind Architectural Charm
Secrets of the Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven was built in 1420. The Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) emperors used it as a venue for honoring Heaven and praying for good harvests.
Danbi bridge - Beijing's first overpass!
Danbi Bridge was the only way for the emperor to get to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. The central path was reserved for divine gods, the path on the left was reserved for the emperor, while court officials used the path on the right
You may ask, 'it's obviously just a road, so why is it called a bridge ' The bridge is four meters above ground and has a tunnel under it, so technically it is a bridge.
The tunnel is called Jin Sheng Gate, meaning the way for sacrifices. Cows and sheep were herded into the Butchery Pavilion to be sacrificed. But animals weren't allowed to walk on the sacred Danbi Bridge, so the tunnel was built for them, creating China's first cloverleaf junction. The tunnel is
also called the Gate of Hell, and no one dares go near it.
The famous Echo Wall at the Heart of Heavenly Stone
The Heart of Heavenly Stone lies at the center of the Circular Mound Altar. In the past, when emperors delivered ceremonial speeches here a magical thing happened: even if the emperor spoke quietly, his voice sounded so powerful it could be heard clearly by the whole audience. The emperors
interpreted this phenomenon as evidence that they were TianZi (the sons of God), and proclaimed this mysterious phenomenon meant everyone must obey them or run the risk of being an enemy of God.
Of course, there is a scientific reason behind this phenomenon. Sounds from the Heart of Heavenly Stone are rapidly echoed by the surrounding stone walls, and the loud voice heard by emperors and officials is actually a mixture of the original voice and echoes. But because the distance between the
Heavenly Center Stone and the stone walls is short, the original sound can hardly be distinguished from the echo, and people heard a louder voice.
A new layer of stone was added to protect the original, which was eroded by large numbers of tourists. This changed the acoustics of the Circular Mound Altar. These days there's usually a crowd of people standing between the Heart of Heavenly Stone and the stone walls so visitors can barely hear
the echo. But it's still a wonderful experience to have a chance to stand where emperors once stood, and hear your voice go straight up to heaven.
The Emperors' enormous lanterns of worship
To the west of the Zhao Xiang Gate (the South Heaven Gate of the Temple of Heaven), stand three big stone daises called Wang Deng Tai (roughly, 'lantern viewing platforms').
The lanterns hanging on the Wang Deng Gan are much bigger than ordinary ones. They are about two meters wide and two and a half meters high - almost as big as a small room. The lanterns' skeletons are made of wire with yellow cotton fabric pasted over. Candles were placed on the wooden bases, lit
and lanterns fitted on top. The candles used were made of yellow wax given as tribute by Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, and processed by the Imperial Household Department (Nei Wu Fu). The candles were 1.3 m high and up to 33cm wide with a long imperial dragon representing luck and fortune carved
into them. These extremely expensive candles could burn for 12 hours without needing to be trimmed or have oil added.
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