Function:
The Imperial Vault of Heaven was used to house the tablet of the God
of Heaven and the tablets of the emperors' ancestors. The tablets had
to be removed to the open air before the emperor came to pray, and replaced
back to the original shrine when the ceremony was over.
Architecture:
The Imperial Vault of Heaven was first built in 1530
and then rebuilt in 1752. It was a circular structure, covered with
blue titles and topped by a gilded ball, covered with blue tiles and
topped by gilded ball. The building is 19.5 meters high and 15.6 meters
in diameter and looks like an umbrella parachuting vertically from the
sky. The whole structure is supported by 16 pillars, eight of which
are posts propping the eaves and another eight inside are gilded one.
The dome is so constructed as to taper little by little and result in
a vault.
Echo
Wall: The wall around the buildings is the well-known Huiyinbi
(Echo Wall). If one person speaks or even whispers at one side of
it, another would be able to hear rather clearly on the opposite side.
Discover more...
Triple-sound
Stone: In front of the marble terrace is Sanyinshi (the Triple-sound
Stone). If one person speaks on the third stone three
echoes will be heard. Discover
more..
Function: