Function of Temple of Heaven

Announcing the function of Temple of Heaven
Temple of Heaven was the place where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties (about seven hundreds years ago) came to perform worship to the God of Heaven and pray for good harvests. They came to the temple twice a year, on the 15th day of the first lunar month and on winter solstice respectively. If there happened to be a drought, they would come on summer solstice to pray for rainfall.

Chinese emperors usually paid strong veneration to Heaven, the Supreme Being that governed the universe. They considered themselves the "sons of heaven" and showed great concern over the rituals of heaven worship. In early Ming Dynasty, both heaven and earth were worshipped here. After the Temple of Earth was built in 1530, Heaven alone was bowed down here.

• The worship of heaven first took place in the western Zhou Dynasty (11th centuryBC-770BC), and became a routine during the Han period (206BC-220AD).
• One of the latest events of heaven worship was held in 1915 by the Yuan Shikai. In 1918, however, the Temple of Heaven was turned into park and opened to the public.