The Earth Altar, one of Beijing's significant historically tourist attractions, recently had its red, glazed tile walls renovated as part of a local government project to restore the site to its original appearance.
The project, carried out by local authorities of Beijing's Eastern District, where the alter is located, required a total investment of 500 million yuan (about US$60 million).
The altar, built in 1530, enjoyed significant political, cultural and religious status during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing(1644-1911) dynasties, as it was used solely by Chinese emperors to worship the deity of the earth. And it is one of China's few best-preserved ancient structures, which was used for sacrificial rituals.
The altar walls reportedly underwent a major overhaul in 1751 during mid Qing Dynasty, and had not been repaired since.
In compliance with the principle of preserving the original appearance of the site, the 2,000-meter-long altar walls and the eastern and southern gates of the altar have been strengthened and consolidated, and the wall's glazed tiles, which had been dismantled in the 1940s, have been restored.
As part of the restoration project, a total of 460 households and 21 institutions were moved from the altar's immediate surrounding area, and 36,000 square meters of constructions were dismantled.
(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2002)
