TimeOut

 
The Emperor's primary palace (Forbidden City) is located in the center of the Beijing and in between the Temples of Earth and Heaven, symbolizing the role of the emperor connection to heavenly rule. Architecturally the layout and design is that Heaven as represented by round shapes and the earth is square.


As you make your approach from the South Gate towards the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests elevation gradually increases, this topographical design reflects the ascending towards the sky (Heaven).  For traditions during the winter solstice offerings were made to Heaven while in the spring, prayers were offered for a good harvest. The Emperor's most important task was to choose the dates for sowing seeds and bringing in the harvest.

The South Gate:

Plenty of vendors here selling souvenirs.  The Chinese red star hats were popular items as it was really cold.

Let's get started!

Much of the cypress trees along the pathway are over 400 years old!

The white marbled 3 arched LingShing Gates:

The Alter of Heaven:

The Heavenly Center Stone:

From here we get a glimpse of the Imperial Vault and Echo Wall:

The Imperial Vault:

The Imperial Vault was built in 1530 and was used to store memorial tablets of the Emperor's ancestors. 

The posterior of the Hall is made of stone bricks and is about 19 meters high by 15.6 meters wide.

The nearby Halls held tablets for the worshiping ceremonies used at the Alter of Heaven:

A peak inside the alter:

Surrounding the Imperial Vault is the 3.7 meter high Echo Wall.  Yes, you can actually hear sounds from the other side of the area!  Fascinating that they were interested in acoustic engineering when designing the area.

The 9-Dragon Juniper, a 500 year old tree: