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The Temple of Heaven
 The Temple of Heaven (Tiantan), is located in the
Chongwen district in the south part of Beijing, about 6km away from
the center of the city. It was built in 1420 during a time when many
other important structures were constructed in Beijing. Tiantan served
as a place of ceremony and ritual for the Ming and Qing emperors.
The Palace of Abstinence is located near the western
entrance of the temple. Before each ceremony, emperors of the Ming and
Qing dynasties held a three-day fast during summer and winter
solstice.
The emperors spent two days fasting in the Forbidden
City and completed the three-day fast in the
 Palace of Abstinence. The
beamless hall was one of the most famous buildings in Beijing. South
of the Echo wall stands the Altar of Heaven, built entirely of white
marble. The altar has four entrances and a flight of nine steps
leading down in every direction. At the center of the upper terrace
lies a round stone surrounded by nine concentric rings of stones.
Even the numbers of the carved balustrades on these
terraces are also multiples of nine. When you stand in the center of
the upper terrace and speak in a low voice, your voice will echo back
much louder to yourself than to others, as the sound waves are
reflected back by the marble balustrades to the focal point at the
center.
 The main building in the compound is the Hall of Prayer
for Good Harvests. The entire structure was joint by wooden bars,
laths and brackets, without using steel and concrete. The four large
pillars in the center are known as the Dragon Well Pillars with each
pillar representing one of the four seasons.
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