Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven, completed in 1420 during the 18th year of the reign of the Ming Emperor Yongle, was a site where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties offered sacrifices to Heaven and prayed for bountiful harvests. Situated in the southern part of Beijing, the temple spans 2.73 square kilome- ters of parkland. The altar area is round in the north and square in the south, reflecting the belief that heaven is round and earth is square.
The Temple of Heaven is divided into the inner part and outer part, with the main buildings being in the inner area. The inner area is further divided into two architectural groups in the north and south. It is the largest existing imperial sacrificial building complex in China and the world's largest existing building complex for offering sacrifice to heaven. The Altar of Prayer for Good Harvests (qigu tan) is situated in the north and is used for praying for good harvests in spring. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (qinian dian), located at the center, is a circular, three-tiered building with a conical roof. Its four in- ner, 12 middle and 12 outer pillars, represent the four seasons, 12 months and 12 traditional Chinese hours, respectively. The Circular Mound Altar (yuanqiu tan), situated in the south, was used exclusively for emperors to offer sacrifices to heaven on the day of the Winter Solstice. It is a round terrace on marble stones. The number of its steps and slates all circular around the number nine, symbolizes the "nine circles of heaven,"
emphasizing the supremacy of heaven. The two altars are connected by a walkway, forming the central axis of the Temple of Heaven, which spans 1,200 meters from north to south.
The Temple of Heaven boasts a grand and magnificent construction style that showcases the pinnacle of architectural techniques from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The trees and shrubs surrounding the area contribute to a pleasant ecolog- ical environment. This reflects the ancient Chinese concept of "harmony between humanity and nature", apparent in how individual structures were designed and positioned as well as the overall layout of the temple complex was planned. In 1998, the Temple of Heaven was included on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.
天壇
天壇始建于明代永樂十八年（1420），是明清兩代皇帝祭祀上天、祈求五谷豐登的場所。天壇坐落在北京市南部， 占地約273萬平方米，壇域北呈圓形，南為方形，象征"天圓地方"。
天壇分內壇和外壇，主要建筑集中于內壇，內壇分為南北兩個建筑群，這是中國現存最大的古代祭祀性建筑群，也是世界上最大的祭天建筑群。天壇北為祈谷壇，用于春季祈禱豐年，其中心建筑是祈年殿，三層重檐的圓形寶頂獨具特色，殿內中央的四根立柱寓意一年四季，外圍兩排各有12 根柱子分別代表十二月、十二時辰。南為圜丘壇，專門用于冬至日祭天。"圜丘"是一座巨大圓形石臺，其臺階、石欄板數量均采用"九"和"九"的倍數，呼應九重天，強調天的至高無上。南、北兩壇之間以甬道相連，共同形成貫通天壇建筑南北1200米的中軸線。
天壇建筑宏偉壯麗、莊嚴肅穆，集明清兩代建筑技藝之大成，又以大面積樹林植被營造良好的生態環境，從單一建筑到整體布局都展現著中國古人"天人合一"的宇宙觀。1998年，天壇列入聯合國教科文組織世界文化遺產名錄。
