Hello,everyone.Todaywearegoingtovisitthetempleofheaven,thelargestandmostcompleteancientarchitecturegroupintheworld.
LocatedinthesoutheastofBeijing,thetempleofheavenisalsothelargestexistingancientsacrificialbuildingcomplexinChinaandtheworld.ItwasbuiltinthefourthyearofYongleinMingDynastyandcompletedinthe18thyearofYongleinMingDynasty.Itcoversanareaof273hectares.It'smorethanthreetimesthesizeoftheForbiddenCity.ItistheplaceforemperorsofMingandQingDynastiestoprayforheavenandvalley.Everyyear,the"threeMencius"holdsacrifices,namely,prayingforvalleyinspring,prayingforraininsummerandprayingforheaveninwinter.Whenitwasfirstbuilt,itwasalsoaplaceforofferingsacrificestotheearthGod,whichwascalledHeavenEarthaltar.UntiltheninthyearofJiajinginMingDynasty,anotherDitanwasbuiltinthenorth.Atthattime,heavenandearthbegantooffersacrificesseparately,andtwomorealtarswerebuiltatthesametime.Itisonlythenthatthepresent-day"fouraltars"inthesuburbsofBeijing,namely,theSouthTempleofheaven,theNorthTempleofearth,theEastTempleofthesunandtheWestTempleofthemoon,wereformed.
ThetempleofheavenisthegeneralnameofthetwoaltarsofYuanqiuandQigu.Thelayoutofthebuildingisintheshapeof"Hui",withdoublealtarwalls,formingtheinnerandouteraltar.ThealtarwallisroundintheSouthandNorth,symbolizingtheroundskyandplace,soitisalsocalledtheheavenearthwall.Themainbuildingsarethehallofprayingforthenewyear,thealtarofroundmound,theimperialvault,theZhaipalace,theouteraltar,themusicofficeandthesacrificeplace.Exceptzhaigonginthewest,theotherthreegroupsareonthesamecentralaxis.ItistheonlybuildingwithasymmetricaxisinBeijingancientarchitecture.
However,suchaholyplaceforworshipingheavenwasoncelootedbytheBritishandFrenchalliedforcesin1860,andthenbytheEightAlliedforcesin1900.WhenYuanShikaiascendedthethronein1916,healsostagedafarceofsacrificingheaveninthetempleofheaven.In1918,thetempleofheavenwasfinallyopenedasapark.Afterliberation,thetempleofheavenhasnotonlybecomeafamoustouristattraction,butalsoanintegralpartofBeijing'surbangreenspace.Notonlytouristscomehere,butalsosomeelderlypeoplewhoarededicatedtophysicalfitness.
Nowlet'sstartthistouralongtheroutethattheemperorascendedthealtar.
Let'sfirstintroducezhaigong.Zhaipalaceislocatedinthewestgateofthetempleofheaven,whichhasthefamousWuliangpalace.Coveringanareaofabout40000squaremeters,itisknownasthesmallforbiddencityandtheplacewheretheemperorfastedbeforeofferingsacrifices.Theemperorfastedhereforthreedaysbeforeofferingsacrificestoheaven.Inthethreedays,"nomeat,noalcohol,noentertainment,nobathing,nocriminalname,nosex."Theso-calledZhiZhai.Therearestonepavilionsonbothsidesoftheterraceinfrontofzhaigonghall.OntherightisthetimePavilion,andontheleftisthefastingbronzePavilion.Thebronzemanis0.5meterstallanddressedincivilianclothes.ItissaidthathewasWeiZhenginTangDynasty.Holdingthebronzeplateoffasting,engravedwiththeword"fasting"towarntheemperor.
Nowlet'stakealookattheYuanqiualtar.Yuanqiualtaris5.7metershighanddividedintothreelayers.Thefourdirectionsofeachfloorhaveninestepspavedwithargyileafbluestone.Surroundedbywhitemarblefence.Therearetwowallsoutsidethealtar.Fromtheeasttothewall,therearefourLingxingGates:Taiyuan,zhaoheng,GuangliandChengzhen.Nowlet'sgotothealtar.Pleasepayattentiontothesurface.Thenumberofstonesusedonthealtarsurfaceisrelatedtonine.Thediameteroftheupperlayeris9feet,thediameterofthemiddlelayeris15feet,andthediameterofthelowerlayeris21feet.Thethirdflooris45feetintotal,whichisnotonlyamultipleof9,butalsomeans"thehighestofnine".TheroundmarbleinthemiddleofthetopaltariscalledTianxinstone.It'salsocalled"YiZhaoYingCongShi".Whenpeoplestandonitandspeak,theywillfeelastrongresonance.AroundtheTianxinstonelayer,thereareninecirclesofhugefan-shapedstones,includingnineinthefirstcircleand18inthesecondcircle.Andsoon,theNinthCircleontheoutermostsideisexactly81blocks;thesecondlayer,thesecondlayeristhesame.Untilthe27thoutermostlap.Similarly,whenyoulookup,youcanseethattheguardboardisdividedintofourpartsbyfoursteps,andeachpartalsohas9pieces.Theguardboardinthemiddlelayeris18pieces,andtheguardboardinthelowerlayeris27pieces.AllthesearemadeaccordingtotheYinYangandfiveelements.9isthenumberofextremeYang,soancientcraftsmenusedthisnumbertoemphasizetheloftinessandsanctityofheaven.Thestepsofofferingsacrificestoheavencanbedividedinto:burningfirewoodtomeettheemperor,offeringsacrificestoheavenincangbi,enteringthethrone,offeringsacrificesatthebeginning,offeringsacrificesattheend,withdrawingfood,sendingtheemperortoheaven,andwatchingthefire.
Let'slookatthesouthwestofYuanqiualtar.Therearethreetallstoneplatforms,calledwangdengtai.Thelongpoleonthestageisthebeaconpole.Thepoleisninefeethighandred.Atthetimeofofferingsacrificestoheaven,alanternwithadiameterofsixfeetandaheightofeightfeetishungoneachlanternpole.ThelanternsaredecoratedwithPanlongovernightwax,whichcanlastforsixhours.Notout,notoil,notcutwax.
Nowlet'scontinuetowalkalongthecentralaxis.Thebuildinginfrontofusistheskyvault.HuanggongyuwasbuiltintheninthyearofJiajingreignoftheMingDynasty.ItwasoriginallycalledthetempleofTai.Inthe17thyearofJiajingreign,itwasrenamedthepresenthuanggongyu.ItisaspecialplaceforstoringGodcards.TherearenotonlytheGodcardsofheaven,butalsotheGodcardsofwind,thunderstormandelectricity.Thisgroupofbuildingsnotonlyhasexquisitemodeling,butalsohasechowallandthreetonestone,whicharecalledthethreeacousticphenomenaofthetempleofheaventogetherwithTianxinstone.
Theechowallistheouterwalloftheimperialvault.Thewallsarebuiltwithbricksandmortar,whichisagoodsoundtransmitter.Aslongasyouspeaktothewallcorrectly,youcanheareachotherclearlyevenifyoucan'tseethefaceatadistanceof40or50meters.TheSanyinstoneisthethreestonesinfrontofthemainhallofhuangqiongyu.Whenyoustandonthefirststoneandclapyourhands,youcanhearanechoonce,thesecondstonecanheartwice,andthethirdstonecanhearthreeechoes,soitiscalledSanyinstone.Later,ittookthemeaningof"threetalentsofheaven,earthandman"andwasalsocalled"threetalentsstone".
Youshouldhavenoticedthattherearemanycypresstreesinthetempleofheaven.Amongthemanyancientcypresses,thereisacypressover500yearsold,whichistheninedragoncypressoutsidethewestwallofechowall.Becausethesurfaceofitstrunkisfulloftwistedgrooves,itiscalledJiulongcypress.
Onthenorthsideofechowall,thereisabroadavenue,whichiscalledDanbibridgeofHaipengAvenue.Becausethereisaculvertundertheroadtoformaninterchange,similartoanoverpass,soitiscalledabridge.AftercrossingtheDanbibridge,wecanseetheqigutancomplex.Qigualtarisathree-layerwhitemarbleroundaltar,coveringanareaofnearly6000squaremeters.Thehallofprayingfornewyearwasbuiltonit.
Thehallofprayingfornewyearisthesymbolofthetempleofheaven.AlsousedtobeasymbolicbuildinginChina,formerlyknownastheGreatHallofworship.Itmeansprayingforagoodharvestyear.Inarchitecture,itisarounddoubleeaveswithapointedroof,andthetopiscoveredwithbluebambootiles.Shrinkagelayerbylayer,uptoninefeet,supportedby28redpillars.ItistheonlyimitationMingTangstylebuildingleftinChina.Inthepast,glazedtilesweredividedintothreecolorsandthreedifferentmeanings.Thatis:Shangqing,onbehalfofheaven,yellow,onbehalfoftheemperor,green,onbehalfofthepeople.Later,inordertoshowrespectforGod,theyallchangedtoblueglazedtiles.
Thetopofthehallandthe28pillarssupportingthetopofthehallalsohavedifferentrepresentativemeanings.Theperimeterofthetopofthehallis30Zhang,representing30daysinamonth.ThefourLongjingpillarssymbolizethattherearefourseasonsinayear.12inthemiddlesymbolizes12monthsinayear.The12outerrootssymbolize12hoursinaday.The24rootsinthemiddleandouterlayerssymbolizethe24solarterms.Thereare28starsinthethreelayers,whichsymbolizethe28starsinthesky.Ifyouadd8childpillarsatthetopofthehall,therewillbe36intotal.Itsymbolizes36Tianganginthesky,
)。Thereisalsoagold-platedshortcopperpillarcalledLeiGongzhuonthetopofthetreasure,whichsymbolizestheemperor'sdomination.Inaddition,thereisa"dragonandPhoenixcaisson"insidethetopofthehall,anda"dragonandPhoenixauspiciousstone"ontheground.Thetwocomplementeachother.
Likeofferingsacrificestoheaven,theritualofprayingforgrainisheldhereeveryyear.Themainhallshouldberenovatedbeforeeachsacrifice.
Nowwecomeoutfromtheeastgateofthealtarofprayingforgrain,andwecanseealongcorridorwith72rooms,commonlyknownas72companyrooms.ItconnectswiththeGodkitchenandGodstorehouse,andisthechannelfortransportingsacrificesduringsacrifice.Inthesoutheastofthecorridor,thereareeighthugebluestones,calledSevenStarstones.ThisisFengshuiZhenshi.Therearetwoversionsofthesevenstarstone.Inonegeneration,aTaoistandanemperorsaidthatthesoutheastofthehallofprayingfornewyearwasempty,whichwasunfavorabletothecountry.SoherearesevenstonessymbolizingtheBigDipper.Second,theSevenStarStonerepresentsthesevenpeaksofDongyue.Asforthexiaoqingshiinthenortheast,EmperorKangxisentpeopletoinvestigatethehairveinofMountTaiinordertofindatheoreticalbasisfortheManchutotakechargeoftheCentralPlains,anddeterminedthatthehairveinofMountTaiincreasedaftertheChangbaiMountaininthenortheast.
Today'ssightseeingtouriscomingtoanend.IhopethistimeinthetempleofheavencanbecomeaneternalmemoryofyourvisittoBeijing.