You should know the secrets of the Temple of Heaven

Everyone knows that the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, as a place where the royal family sacrificed to heaven thousands of years ago, carries rich cultural connotations. Here, successive emperors prayed for good weather and good harvests, expressing their deep feelings for the country and the people. At the same time, the Temple of Heaven is also the embodiment of ancient Chinese philosophy, which reflects the concept of harmony between heaven and man and conforming to nature. But about the legend behind it, let’s learn.

The time of building the altar
Now there are many legends about the Temple of Heaven, such as The Story of the Building of the Temple of Prayer for Good Harvest, The Origin of the Temple of Heaven, and the rebuilding of the Temple of Prayer for Good Harvest in Jiajing. These stories all describe the connections between the royal family of Heaven and the Temple of Heaven from different humanistic perspectives. For example, as described in the Legend of the God’s Help to Circular Mound: when Emperor Qianlong extended Circular Mound in those years, there was a begging child, who helped the craftsman draw the “Ninety-nine Altar map”, which perfectly completed Qianlong’s requirement that “from the jar to the steps, the stone used must be nine or a multiple of nine”, which explained the representative meaning of the Temple of Heaven in the construction, which symbolizes the “nine”.

The legend of Leonurus
This is a folk tale, mixed with life and fantasy colors. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong in Qing Dynasty, Wang Qishu recorded the views about Leonuri in the Temple of Heaven in his book “Shuicao Qingxia Record”. The chapter “Picking Herbs in the Temple of Heaven” was also written by Linqing in Daoguangshi of Qing Dynasty, and the words were also recorded in 宸垣. Various historical records show that there has been a rumor about Leonurus in the folk, and it has slowly been attached to the legend of the Temple of Heaven. There is also a legend about the “sweet well water of Gan Quan and the Temple of Heaven”, which also has historical origins, Wang Shizhen of the Qing Dynasty wrote a poem: “The capital’s soil vein water Gan Quan, Gu Zhu spring bud in vain.” Only the Temple of Heaven stone is good, a spoonful of clear waves buy thousands of money.” Here said “clear wave a spoonful to buy a thousand money” refers to the Temple of Heaven sweet well water, proving that this legend has been spread in the Qing Dynasty.

verve
Shen Yun legend or regional Shen Yun, spread widely in the land of China. The people have endowed every inch of land and every landscape around them with a soul, weaving them into beautiful stories and becoming precious seeds in the soil of culture. So is the charm of the Temple of Heaven, which has become a good story of the people’s oral praise.

For the people of Yanzhao land, the Temple of Heaven is not only an architectural community, but also a holy place for the emperor to communicate with the sky, full of solemn and mysterious. Every brick and tile seems to contain ancient secrets, and the layout of every building seems to be guided by “God”, reflecting the philosophy of “Yin and Yang harmony”, “heaven and earth thick”, “God and man dancing” and “induction and communication”. In particular, it is worth mentioning that the temple complex, as the source of the legend of Shen Yun, was not formed naturally, but the crystallization of the craftsmen, who skillfully combined the architectural art and humanistic ideas. We can see that the thought of God-man induction adds a touch of fantasy and mystery to the legend of the charm of the Temple of Heaven.

People of the Year
The sacrificial ceremony held by the emperors in the Temple of Heaven and the footprints of celebrities in modern history have always been talked about by the people and become a hot topic among the streets. In these legends, the images of emperors such as Kangxi and Yongzheng are often shown through one or two anecdotes, rather than a comprehensive description, so it is inevitable that they are different from historical facts and have certain imaginary components. However, in these legends, the common people have their own judgments and views on these historical figures, although sometimes a little one-sided, but undoubtedly reflect the position and view of the common people, and the official records are very different. This is precisely the unique value of such legends.

The root of an altar
“Altar root” is the common name of the people of the capital of the Temple of Heaven near the area, with the Temple of Heaven as the axis, the north of the Golden fish pond, the west of the overpass, the east of the Fata and four pieces of jade, the south of the Tongzi River, these places are affectionately known as “altar root”, has always been a place for the common people to live. There are many legends circulating here, such as “The Legend of the Golden Fish Pond” and “The Secret under the Overpass”, which reflect the yearning and pursuit of people living at the bottom of society for a better life.

The legend of the surrounding area of the Temple of Heaven, called “the root of the Temple”, gradually merged with the legend of the Temple of Heaven, enriching the connotation and scope of the legend. From the legend of “Altar root”, it is not difficult to find that with the changes of The Times, the mysterious and solemn part of the legend of the Temple of Heaven has gradually weakened under the influence of real life, while the part full of life has become more vivid.

Now the Temple of Heaven still exudes a mysterious and solemn color, attracting countless tourists to come thousands of miles to visit. Now it is spring, if you come to Beijing or want to have a visit here, it is better to take a day, accompanied by the breeze and the beautiful scenery of flowers and leaves, leisurely stroll in the Temple of Heaven Park, feel the solemn mystery here.