The Temple of Heaven used to be a ritual place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshiped Heaven and prayed for a good harvest. Located within the South 2nd Ring Road in Dongcheng District and covering an area of around 2.73 million square meters, the Temple of Heaven was first constructed in the 18th year(1420) of the reign of the Ming Dynasty's Emperor Yongle and reconstructed during the reigns of Qianlong and Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty.
 
The northern part of the place is semicircular symbolizing the heaven and the southern part is square symbolizing the earth.

As one of the main buildings of the Temple of Heaven, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (Qiniandian in Chinese) is the special site to pray for abundant harvests in the first month of the lunar year. It was initially a rectangular hall called the Hall of Great Sacrifice (Dasidian in Chinese), and was reconstructed into a circular one in the 24th year (1545) of the reign of the Ming Dynasty's Emperor Jiajing.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is the only remaining relic in Ming style. The blue colored tiles correspond to the sky. On a sunny day, it is a perfect place for photography, so tourists all would like to take photos with the construction as the background.
 
Danbi Bridge connects the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Imperial Vault of Heaven. The marble-paved route in the center is called the Sacred Way and and is used by the god of Heaven; the route in the east is called the Imperial Route and can be used exclusively by an emperor; and the route in the west is called the Prince's Route and can be used by high officials.

The central route was not allowed to be used casually in ancient times, but now the Temple of Heaven is no longer used as a ritual altar, so tourists will also walk through the three paths with different meanings.

Bounded by a circular wall, the Imperial Vault of Heaven houses the tablets of the gods that are used at the ceremony of worshipping Heaven. The circular wall, flat and smooth, permits sound waves to pass smoothly. If one stands on the east side and another on the west side, they can clearly hear each other even if they only whisper a word. That's why the wall is called the Echo Wall. So don't shoot your mouth off here, otherwise you'll be heard.

The Circular Mound Altar, commonly known as the Terrace of Worshipping Heaven, was used by the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties to offer sacrifices to Heaven. As nine is the largest positive number and there was a theory in ancient Chinese that the gods of Heaven lives in the 9th sphere of Heaven, so the number of steps and stairways of the Circular Mound Altar is either 9 or a multiple of 9, which emphasizes Heaven's supremacy.
 
It seems that the 9th sphere of Heaven is just in front of us when we walk upwards from the south steps of the Circular Mound Altar and look to the north from its center.

Today's Temple of Heaven, no longer a sacred ritual place, attracts many tourists every day to admire its magnificent buildings and learn China's history, and is also a good place for nearby residents to have a walk and take exercise.