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.
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