The Temple of Heaven

During the Ming dynasty, the Temple of Heaven was created for the emperor to make sacrifices
and pray to heaven and his ancestors at the winter solstice. Everything in China is full of symbolism. For example the circular roof symbolizes the sky, the blue on the temple represents heaven, and the dragon and phoenix motifs inside and out represent the emperor and empress. The roofs of the hall are supported on 28 highly-decorated pillars. At the center, the four huge columns, known as Dragon Well pillars, represent the seasons, while the other 24 smaller pillars symbolize the months in a year plus the two hour time periods in a day. Also, the entire temple was built out of wood with out using any nails.
We thought it was interesting that the emperor would fast for three days (go with out food, water, women, etc.) in the fasting house to prepare to talk to God and before all of the sacrifices were made. You can see in this picture that there was a mote (now grown over with weeds) to protect the emperor from any disturbances during his fast. All around the complex are exquisite and tranquil gardens. My favorite was the rose garden. A lot of elderly were here, just hanging out on the benches, walking around, singing traditional chinese songs, playing cards, dancing, and some were even playing a type of hacky-sack game. I thought this might be a wonderful place for my dad to retire to, so lively, yet peaceful. This is the site of the emperor's round, sacrifice, alter.