Six hundred miles of wind and rain, three thousand miles of capital splendor, Beijing | The Temple of Heaven

| The Temple of Heaven.👏 The Temple of Heaven in Beijing was built in the 18th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1420), and was rebuilt during the reigns of Emperor Qianlong and Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty. It was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped the Heaven and prayed for good harvests. The Temple of Heaven refers to the Altar of Heaven and the Altar of Prayer for Good Harvests, enclosed by two walls, forming an inner and outer altar, with the walls round in the south and square in the north, symbolizing the round heaven and square earth. The main structures are in the inner altar, with the Circular Mound Altar in the south and the Altar of Prayer for Good Harvests in the north, both on the same north-south axis, separated by a wall in the middle. The main structures of the Circular Mound Altar include the Circular Mound, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, and the Lingxing Gates, while the main structures of the Altar of Prayer for Good Harvests include the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Imperial Zenith Hall, and the Gate of Prayer for Good Harvests. ⬇️Below are historical anecdotes about the Temple of Heaven: 💚Legend has it that when Emperor Yongle entered Beijing, he managed the mountains and rivers but forgot to manage the Heavenly Father. After establishing the capital in Beijing, the harvests became worse year by year, and the Heavenly Father refused to bring rain, leading to crop failures and the common people cursing the Heavenly Father in desperation. 💜Emperor Yongle had a dream in which he was running on the ground and saw the earth so dry that it was covered with white hair. He felt hot and thirsty and looked up to the sky to call out to the Heavenly Father. As soon as he finished speaking, there was a thunderclap, and a red-faced man appeared from the lightning. The man opened his mouth and shouted, 'Only when the Empress prays for rain will it come!' After saying that, the man disappeared. 💙After waking up, Emperor Yongle believed this to be a divine message and issued an imperial decree: 'The Empress must pray for rain for three days; if it does not rain, she is not allowed to return to the palace.' The geomancer chose the location south of the current Temple of Heaven, around the Circular Mound. There was a small loess hill there, and the geomancer said it was the place with the strongest connection to the heavens in the whole city. 💛The Empress was locked in the palace and had no chance to leave. Although this task was arduous, it gave her the opportunity to leave the palace and see something new. She was on the prayer platform, but her eyes wandered and her heart was not focused on praying for rain. The day passed quickly, and as night fell, the Empress's playful mood faded, and she felt hungry. She remembered the emperor's words, 'If it does not rain, you are not allowed to return to the palace,' and knowing that the imperial decree could not be violated, she swallowed her saliva and dared not move.