Temple of Heaven (Tiantan), Beijing


Related person
John P. Schooley Jr. (was created by)
Description
The Temple of Heaven, where the Ming and Qing emperors used to perform the most important ceremonial rites of the years, is in the south of the old Chinese part of the city. The enclosure containing the temple building was first built in 1420 and is surrounded by a park of more than 270 hectares. -- Valder, P. (2002). Gardens in China. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. p. 162 The Hall of Prayer for Harvests, northern part of the Temple of Heaven in the Outer City, stands with immense Chinese dignity on three concentric stone circles fringed with the granular and sparkling white marble used so liberally in the imperial palaces. The interior consists of a single circular hall about fifty feet high, coffered and gilded. Its three roofs are pf Prussian-blue tile. The wide disc of the upper platform, from which its lacquered walls rise, is empty except for a few urns of monumental proportions disposed around the rim. The Ming mastery of mass and space is nowhere striking than in the layout of this superb structure. -- Cameron, N., Brian Barke. (1965). Peking: A Tale of Three Cities. New York: Harper&Row. p. 70 This image was taken by John P. Schooley, FAIA, during the 1982 People-to-People Architecture Delegation to the People's Republic_access of China. The People-to-People Citizen Ambassador Program sponsored the delegation lead by Professor David Glasser of the Department of Architecture, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. This delegation allowed architects and planners from the United States to visit landmarks as well as communities at various scales, and to meet professionals involved in their planning and continued development.
Style/Period
Ming Dynasty (1368 CE - 1644 CE)
Qing Dynasty (1644 CE - 1912 CE)