1.Temple of HeavenBy Caton Lupica- Overview- Purpose- Origin- Description (Cont.)- Methods of Protection (Cont.)- ConclusionVideoBibliography

2. Brief OverviewThe Temple of Heaven is a complexof fine buildings and gardenssurrounded by historic pine woods.The temple is located in BeijingChina, and was originally created in1420 AD. The Temple of Heavenwas built together with theForbidden City, during the reign ofMing Emperor Yongle. It is a resultof the highest level of ancientChinese cosmology. Main Menu 3. PurposeThe purpose of the temple is to symbolise therelationship between heaven and earth, or the humanworld and Gods world. Numerous Emperors haveused the Temple of Heaven to carry out official ritualsand ceremonies where sacrifices to heaven would beoffered, in prayer for good harvests on behalf of thepeople of the land.Main Menu 4. Origin The Temple of Heaven is a masterpiece of ancient Chinese culture. Its siting, planning and architecturaldesign was based on ancient Chinese ideology. Theideology relates to numbers and spatial organisation todo with the relationship between heaven and earth.For example, the far topcorners of the temple are rounded, however thebottom corners are squared,because the ancient Chinesebelieved the shape ofHeaven is round and the Earth is square. Main Menu 5. Detailed DescriptionThe temple groundscover almost 3 km2 ofparkland in total. TheTemple of Heavenscentral building is calledThe Hall of Prayer forGood Harvests. It standsan impressive 38 metreshigh, and has threecircular levels. Thetower is based on threelevels of marble rock,and at the top of thebuilding is a conicallyshaped roof. Main Menu 6. Description Cont.Directly south of the Hall of Prayer lies the ImperialVault of Heaven, which resembles The Hall of Prayer,only a smaller one-levelled version. Further south isthe Circular Mound Altar, an empty circular platform ofthree levels of marble, each decorated lavishly withcarved dragons. Each of these building is connectedvia a 360 metre long elevated brick path, known as TheRed Stairway Bridge.Main Menu 7. Methods of ProtectionTo keep the temple genuineand authentic, anyproposed projects that mayhave an impact on theheritage values of thetemple are prohibited. Theentire site is constantlyunder rigorousmaintenance andconservationalimprovements. As anadditional measure for theprotection of the temple, allstaff conducting any workon the Temple are speciallytrained architects.Main Menu 8. Methods of Protection Cont. The Temple of Heaven wasincluded by the State Councilof the Peoples Republic ofChina on the first group ofState Priority Protected sites in1961. There are also certainrestrictions to areas where thegeneral public are allowed toaccess. The master plan for theprotection and management ofthe Temple of Heaven iscurrently under review, andwill be presented to the WorldHeritage Committee when it is Main Menucomplete. 9. Why the Temple of Heaven deserves to be on UNESCOs list of the worlds mostfascinating places. The creation of the Temple of Heaven dates back to 420AD, making it 1592 years old. It a miracle how well it is preserved, and the fact that it is still used today by the same people who built it is nothing short of extraordinary. Its architectural design is of the finest in China, and is superior in comparison to the other similar temples built around China. The temple is a perfect example of thousands of years of Chinese culture, all rolled into a multitude of beautiful structures. The temple is a place of utter serenity and peacefulness, and can almost take you back in time. It is by far one of the most profoundly overwhelming World Heritage sites you could ever see, and no doubt deserves to be viewed as one of the most fascinating places as well. Main Menu 10. VideoThis short videofurther describes the temple and itsfeatures, and gives a good visualunderstanding of the site.Main Menu 11. Bibliography Main Menu http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/881 http://www.chinaodysseytours.com/pictures-of-china/?level=picture&id=1540 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Mo6_cskvhQ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Heaven http://www.flickriver.com/photos/30302159@N05/5616111707/ http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=10175617 http://www.beijingxiantour.com/beijing-tours/forbidden-city-temple-of-heaven-summer-palace-coach-tour/