Enter the Zhaigong.

Beijing's central axis was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO this year, and the key landmark buildings on the central axis have become the focus of attention for tourists at home and abroad. The Temple of Heaven is one of the first choices for check-in.

The Temple of Heaven is the place where the royal family of the Ming and Qing Dynasties worshipped the heavens, prayed for grain and rain, and is the largest existing ancient sacrificial building group in China. Tourists who come here will not miss the buildings on the "main line" such as the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, Echo Wall, and Circular Mound Altar.

In fact, the Zhaigong on the southwest side of the Temple of Heaven is also worth a careful tour. This is the place where the emperor fasted for three days before the sacrifice, and it is now open for free.
Draw a key point for your reference:
🕹️The overall architectural pattern of Zhaigong is regular, with an area of about 40,000 square meters, surrounded by tall and strict palace walls, and there is a royal ditch (equivalent to a moat) on the periphery.
🕹️The main hall-the beamless hall, the brick arch bears the weight, the beamless beam, and there is a horizontal plaque of "Qin Ruohao Tian" written by Qianlong. The "Historical and Cultural Exhibition of the Temple of Heaven Zhaigong" is now set up in the hall.
🕹️The bronze man of fasting is erected in front of the beamless hall. The emperor holds a sign with the word "fasting" during the fasting period. It is said that the prototype is Wei Zheng, a famous minister of the Tang Dynasty.
🕹️The bell tower (not open), with the "Taihe Bell" made in the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor rang the big bell from the Zhaigong to the altar.

Post by Owen Martinez | Oct 7, 2024