One of the first places you should visit when you arrive in Beijing, the capital of China, is the Temple of Heaven.
Image Source: bp.blogspot.com
Established in the early 15th century, the Temple symbolizes the connection between heaven and earth. The temple grounds are actually shaped like a bullet, circular on one side (representing heaven) and square on the other (representing earth). Walking around the temple, I realized that even though this entire complex is huge, the place where the actual worshiping and sacrificing happens is just very near the Zhaoheng Gate, from which I entered, and is called the Circle Mound Altar. The altar itself has three layers, with the bottom layer being the largest. Each layer is actually a terrace with a flight of nine steps leading to the next, in four directions. Why nine? Because according to Chinese cosmology, nine is a sovereign number. In the center of the top layer is a round stone called the Tianxingshi or the Heaven Heart Stone. It is said that if you stand on it and shout, your voice will reach even the farthest corners of heaven. When I tried it, it seemed as if my voice that was echoed was, in fact, louder.
Image Source: beijingfeeling.com
In the southeast corner of the altar, there is a huge brick stove surrounded by eight smaller ones; near them is a small pool. It is said that the huge stove was used to burn animal sacrifices to the heavens and the smaller stoves were used to burn offerings for the first eight emperors of the Qing Dynasty. The small pool was used to for the blood and fur of the animal sacrifices.
The Temple of Heaven is a perfect example of a place that displays exquisite Chinese architecture and the country’s rich history. It truly is a man-made wonder.
Image Source: flicker.com/beanabern
Louis Habash is a travel writer who one day dreams of retiring in Tibet. Follow him on Facebook for more travel stories.
Louis Habash 
