ladies and gentlemen:
welcome to the temple of heaven. (after self-introduction) preserved cultural heritages of china. there are basically two kinds of visitors who come here: local pensioners who do exercises here in the morning and evening and sightseers both from home and abroad. all in all ，there are 12 million visitors very year. now we are going to go along the route that leads to the alter. it will take roughly one hour. mind you ，the emperor also walked along this route to pay tribute to the god of heaven.
the largest group of architectures ever to be dedicated to heaven ，the temple of heaven served as an exclusive altar for chinese monarchs during the ming and qing dynasties. it was decreed that rulers of successive dynasties would place altars in their own capitals to worship heaven and pray for good harvest. but why ?
the ancient chinese believed that heaven was the supreme ruler of the universe and the fate of mankind，and thus worshiping rites dedicated to heaven came into being.
the heaven the ancient chinese referred to was actually the universe， or nature. in those days， there were specfic rites of worship. this was especially true during the ming and qing dynasties when elaborate ceremonies were held.
the temple of heaven was built in 1420 during the reign of emperor youngle of the ming dynasty. situated in the southern part of the city ，this grand set of structures covers an area of 273 hectares. to better symbolize heaven and earth ，the northern part of the temple is circular while the southern part is square .the whole compound is enclosed by two walls， a square wall outside a round one. the outer area is characterized by suburban scenery， while the inner part is used for sacrifices. the inner enclosure consists of the hall of prayer for good harvest and the circular mound altar.
the circular mound altar is enclosed by two walls ，each containing four groups of southern lattice star gate， each in turn consisting of three doors， with 24 marble doors altogether. standing on the passage facing north， you will notice that with each pair of doors on is narrower than the other. this reflects the feudal hierarchy: the wider door was reserved for monarchs， while the narrower one was used by courtiers.
on the day of the ceremony ，the emperor would don his ritual costume and be ushered in by the official in charge of religious affairs. he ascended the three terraces in the forefront to pay tribute at the alter.
we are now on the top terrace of the altar， or the third terrace .each terrace has a flight of 9 steps. at the center of this terrace lies a round stone surrounded by 9 steps. at the center of this terrace lies a round stone surrounded by 9 concentric rings of stone. the number of stones in the first ring is 9， in the second ，18， up to 81 in the 9th ring. even the number of carved balustrades on these terraces is a multiplee of 9. but why?
according to ancient chinese philosophy， yin and yang were two opposing factors. heaven and the odd numbers belonged to yang while the earth and even numbers belonged to yin. nine was the largest heavenly number accessible to man . what is more， the ancient people also believed that heaven consisted of nine layers and that the emperor` s abode was on the uppermost tier.
once more look at the round stone in the center. the upper terrace is nine zhang (a chinese unit of length， one zhang equals 3.3 meters ) in circumference ，while the middle is 15 zhang， the lower，21 zhang. classified as yang numbers， the sum of these numerals is 45 zhang which was meant to symbolized success. what is more， by applying the concept of odd numbers and strengthening nine and its multiples， the concept of heaven was thus illustrated and realized . the concept of nine will also be mentioned when we visit some other buildings.
now i will give you a brief account of what happened here annually on the inter solstice. the memorial tablet dedicated to heaven would be set up on the north side of the terrace， while tablets dedicated to the emperor `s ancestors would be enshrined on the flanks. the service would begin around 4 o` clock in the morning. all of the lanterns would be lit .in the foreground， a sacrificial calf is being barbecued. on the square in front of the altar， the emperor， under heavy escort of nearly a thousand courtiers， princes of royal blood ，musicians， dancers and uniformed soldiers， would slowly ascend the altar to offer sacrifice and pray in honor of heaven. when the service drew to a close ，the sacrifice offered in front of the memorial tablets would be incinerated .all of participants would watch the thick smoke rise upward as if they were seeing god off .music and dancing would follow .in the end ，the emperor would return to the forbidden city secure in the belief that he would be blessed and protected by heaven until the next winter solstice.
it is interesting to note that ，the stone in the very middle of the altar was of major importance ，since it was where the emperor used to stand to say his prayer. the stone ，which is known as the god`s heart stone， is peculiar in that it is characterized by a specific acoustic phenomenon: it made the emperor` s voice clearer and louder， thus adding to the mystic atmosphere of the service .you can try this out by yourself. (proceed northward to pass through the lattice stargate)
this structure is known as heaven` s storehouse. it is entered through the gate of glazed tiles. the roofing，beams， and brackets are all made of glazed tiles or bricks. this is the only structure of its kind in china today .
the heaven` s storehouse was where memorial tablets dedicated to the gods were kept. douglas hurd， a former british foreigh secretary ，once said ， “god attends to his affairs on the cir4cular mound altar but stays here. ” now let` s go in to to see it (go through the left side door)
(in the courtyard of heaven` s storehouse)this is the imperial vault of heaven， the main structure of heaven` s storehouse. it was built in 1530 and is 17 meters in height and 19 meters in diameter. the structure feature blue roofs topped by a gilded ball ，and carved wooden doors and windows. it is decorated with colored paintings. founded on a 3-meter-hign round marble terrace ，the building also features a gigantic carved marble ramp laid in the stone staircase leading up to the front entrance.. the ramp is carved in “two dragons playing with a pearl ” design in relief. we will enter the main hall by going up the stone staircase on the eastern side.
the arch of the hall is buttressed by 16 giant pillars on two rings. on top of the pillars there are gilt brackets supporting a circular caisson ，or covered ceiling .the ceiling is characterized by a golden coiling dragon design. the 8 pillar of the inner ring are painted scarlet and decorated with golden lotuses.
to the north of the hall there is a marble pedestal. atop it ，up a wooden flight of 9 steps， is where the major tablet dedicate to heaven was enshrined. on each flank four tablets are enshrined in honor of the ancestors of the qing emperors. in the annex hall in hornor of the ancestors of the qing emperors. in the annex halls in the courtyard， there are tablets dedicated to the deities of the sun， moon ，constellation， cloud ，rain， wind and thunder.
aside from exquisitely laid out architectures， heaven` s storehouse is also famous for two structures with peculiar acoustic features， i. e. the echo wall and the triple- sound stone. a mere whisper at any point close to the wall can be heard clearly on the other side， although the parties may be 40 or 50 meters apart. this is possible because the wall is round and hermetically constructed with smooth ，solid bricks.
in front of the steps leading away from the halls is the triple sound stone. if you stand on the first stone and call out or clap your hands， the sound will echo once; on the second stone， the sound will be heard twice; and on the third stone， the sound will repeat three times. hence the name. (go out through the right door and stroll along the circular path nor thward)
the temple of heaven is also famous for its cypress trees-there are more than 60，000 cypress trees in all，among which over 4，000 are more than one hundred years old ，adding to the solemn atmosphere of the temple .this tall cypress was planted more than 500 years ago. its thick branches and twisting trunk resembling nine coiling playful dragons; thus it is known as the nine-dragon cypress. it is said that this tree was here to welcome the monarchs. now it is here to welcome visitor from all over the world.
Now we are back again on the central axis. this brick-arched gate is known as chengzhen (adopting fidelity) .this gate is the northern gate of the circular mound altar and the hall of prayer for good harvest. the hall of prayer for good harvest is situated at the extreme end of the axis. it was used by the emperor in the first month of every lunar year for services dedicated to good harvest.
entering the hall of prayer for good harvest， we set foot on a raised passage 360 meters long， which the emperor also took to proceed to the hall. this broad north-south walkway， called danbiqiao (red stairway bridge)， connects the two sets of main building in the temple of heaven and constitutes a single axis.
the passage is divided into left， control and right paths by the cross arrangement of slabs. the central and the widest path is known as heavenly thoroughfare ， which was reserved exclusively for god; nobody， including the emperor， was allowed to set foot onto it . the emperor used the path on the east，which is known as the imperial walk. the ministers and princes used the one on the west .interesting enough ，there is no walkway left for ordinary people. this is because the temple of heaven used to be off-limits to them.
contrary to appearances， this walkway is not a bridge at all . but how so ? this road is 4 meters above the ground and there is a cavern underneath that was reserved for sacrificial oxen and sheep. the cattle were slaughtered at a slaughterhouse about 500 meters away and brought here for sacrifice. all in all ，it can be said this walkway did serve as bridge and can be looked upon as the first cloverleaf in beijing.
looking back at the thoroughfare， you may realize that this walk is gaining height toward its northern end. as people approach the architectural group of the hall of prayer for good harvest， the flanking groves of cypress recede and perspective widens. here you are in heaven.
the marble terrace up ahead is called jufutai， or costumechanging terrace. it is located to the east of the red stairway bridge and covers a space of 25 square meters .it has marble slab balustrades. the day before the service ，officials in charge would put up a yellow satin tent on the terrace for the emperor to change out of his yellow dragon robe into blue ceremonial clothes. after the service，the emperor would return to the tentand change back into his imperial robe before returning to the palace. (proceed to the south gate of the hall of prayer for good harvest)
this structure is called the gate of pray for good harvest. we can catch a slight glimpse of the central building ，the hall of prayer for good harvest， though the colonnade of the gate. a gigantic and lofty group of buildings， the complex includes the gate of prayer for good harvest， the hall of prayer for good harvest， eastern and western annex halls ，the huanqian (imperial heaven) long corridor， heaven kitchen， slaughterhouse， etc.
the annex halls were symmetrically built on a 1.5-meter-hignbrick-and-marble terrace ，to set off the loftiness and magnificence of the main hall .this unique building ，38 meters in height， is characterized by a cone-shaped structure with triple eaves and a top that is crowned by a gilt ball. the roofing is made of blue glazed tiles， the color of the sky .underneath the roof， the beams and bracket are decorated with colored paintings. the base of the structure is a triple-tiered， circular marble terrace. at a distance， the terrace looks like a gigantic， spiraling cloud with the structure perched on top of it .
today the hall of prayer for good harvest is the hallmark of beijing， which enjoys a prolonged history of civilization.
the base of the hall is a triple-tiered， circular marble terrace， which is 90 meters in diameter and 6 meters in height ，covering a space of 4，000 square meters. meticulous accuracy was given to the layout of the structure. in the middle of each three-tiered flight of stairs， there is a giant marble ramp carved in cloud， dragon and phoenix designs. to set off the ramps， the top of the balustrades and downpipes are designed with corresponding floral scrolls. in southern part of each tier， a gigantic bronze incense burner is placed. sandalwood was burnt in them when rites were observed.
(in front of the hall of prayer for good harvest) climbing up this marble terrace， we see the main hall，a masterpiece of ancient china. looking up you will see the caisson， or covered ceiling， characterized by complex designs of dragons and phoenixes. in and out ， the hall is decorated with colored drawing of dragons and phoenixes.
without the use of steel ，cement and nail， and even without the use of big beams and crossbeams，the entire structure is supported by 28 massive wooden pillars and number of bars， laths， joints and rafters. the four central pillars， called the dragon-well pillars， are 19.2 meters high and painted with designs of composite followers， representing the four season. there are two rings of 12 scarlet pillars each. the inner ring represents the 12 months and the outer rings the 12 divisions of the day and night .between the two rings there are 24 partitioned spaces to mark the solar terms of the chinese lunar year. the pillars， 28 in number， also represent the 28 constellations in the universe- the ancient chinese believed that there were 28 constellations that made up the sky.
the center of the stone-paved floor is a round marble slab， which is 88.5 centimeters in diameter. interestingly， the slab features natural black and white veins， corresponding to the dragon-phoenix design on the ceiling. this particular slab is known as the dragon-phoenix stone and is regarded as a treasure inseparable from the hall.
the furnishings within the hall are placed in their original positions dating back to when emperor xianfeng ruled .in the forefront and above the throne are enshrined tablets in commemoration of heaven. on either table on each side tablets of the emperor` s ancestors were placed. each tablet is fronted by an altar. a total of 24 kinds of offering were made on it ，including soup， wine， assorted cereals， and a calf.
the sacrificial rites were observed in the wee hours of the morning， sometime in the first month of the chinese lunar year. because it was still dark， candles， lanterns and torches were lit. this lighting coupled with the incense being burnt inside the hall ，helped make the ceremony both grand and mystical.
by the time the service began，207 musicians and dancers would be performing on platforms outside the hall. the emperor， in his blue sacrificial robe and with an air of piety and sincerity， would walk slowly into the hall， kowtow， and offer wine and prayer in hornor of the deities and his ancestors. all of the offerings would then be taken to incinerators on the eastern side of the gate of prayer for good harvest. with this we conclude our visit to the temper of heaven. the feudal monarchs and their sacrificial rites have long vanished in history .however， this group of magnificent and lofty structures remain as a fine testament of the ancient chinese` s ingenuity and as one of the cultural heritages of mankind.
from the eastern gate of the hall of prayer for good harvest， we have now enter a 300-meter-long corridor. consisting of 72 sections， this corridor served as a connecting building between the slaughterhouse. heaven kitchen， and the main hall ，it is said that this once served as a sacrificial food production line. flanking the corridor are shopping stalls. you may find some souvenirs for your family and friend there.
well ，that is all for this tour. thank you for your attention. i look forward to your next visit. good luck and bon voyage.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Welcome to the temple of Heaven. (After self-introduction) preserved cultural heritages of China. There are basically two kinds of visitors who come here: local pensioners who do exercises here in the morning and evening and sightseers both from home and abroad. All in all ,there are 12 million visitors very year. Now we are going to go along the route that leads to the alter. It will take roughly one hour. Mind you ,the emperor also walked along this route to pay tribute to the God of Heaven.
(Along the Southern Sacred Road leading to the Circular Mound Altar)
The largest group of architectures ever to be dedicated to Heaven ,the Temple of Heaven served as an exclusive altar for Chinese monarchs during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was decreed that rulers of successive dynasties would place altars in their own capitals to worship Heaven and pray for good harvest. But why ?
The ancient Chinese believed that Heaven was the supreme ruler of the universe and the fate of mankind ,and thus worshiping rites dedicated to Heaven came into being.
The Heaven the ancient Chinese referred to was actually the Universe, or nature. In those days, there were specfic rites of worship. This was especially true during the Ming and Qing dynasties when elaborate ceremonies were held.
The Temple of Heaven was built in 1420 during the reign of Emperor Youngle of the Ming Dynasty. Situated in the southern part of the city ,this grand set of structures covers an area of 273 hectares. To better symbolize heaven and earth ,the northern part of the Temple is circular while the southern part is square .The whole compound is enclosed by two walls, a square wall outside a round one. The outer area is characterized by suburban scenery, while the inner part is used for sacrifices. The inner enclosure consists of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest and the Circular Mound Altar.
(Along the Imperial Passage leading from the Southern Lattice Star Gate in front of the Circular Mound Altar)
the Circular Mound Altar is enclosed by two walls ,each containing four groups of Souther
n Lattice Star Gate, each in turn consisting of three doors, with 24 marble doors altogether. Standing on the passage facing north, you will notice that with each pair of doors on is narrower than the other. This reflects the feudal hierarchy: the wider door was reserved for monarchs, while the narrower one was used by courtiers.
On the day of the ceremony ,the emperor would don his ritual costume and be ushered in by the official in charge of religious affairs. He ascended the three terraces in the forefront to pay tribute at the alter.
(Atop the Circular Mound Alter)
we are now on the top terrace of the Altar, or the third terrace .Each terrace has a flight of 9 steps. At the center of this terrace lies a round stone surrounded by 9 steps. At the center of this terrace lies a round stone surrounded by 9 concentric rings of stone. The number of stones in the first ring is 9, in the second ,18, up to 81 in the 9th ring. Even the number of carved balustrades on these terraces is a multiplee of 9. But why?
According to an cient Chinese philosophy, yin and yang were two opposing factors. Heaven and the odd numbers belonged to yang while the Earth and even numbers belonged to yin. Nine was the largest heavenly number accessible to man . What is more, the ancient people also believed that heaven consisted of nine layers and that the emperor` s abode was on the uppermost tier.
Dear visitors, today we will visit the emperor worship was formerly place - the temple of heaven.
Ming yongle emperor after moved in Beijing enterprise of Beijing, the big site modeled nanjing is established for this role in praying to alter, covers an area of reached 273 million square meters. Lord architecture is big, is also the site of QiNianDian position today. The temple of heaven has outer wall and the altar, the north is round compound has wall, the south is square, take meaning nature round place. In the beginning, heaven and offering ground is the temple of heaven, until the jiajing years in beicheng built ditan, just separate, and new MengDong HuanQiu altar, for the original big praying to the site, and great temple, instead, when MengChun specially for the mega garden just house roof was three double-hipped roof, from top to bottom blue and yellow green colors representing the earthen universe. And in qianlong multiplied, instead of the house, and now QiNianDian with roof tiles blue glazed tile. Thus formed today what we see of the world's largest ceremonial buildings.
But such a praying to the holy land, but also once was in the anglo-french allied in 1860, then the looted in 1900 was again the ravages of g8 coalition. In 1916 the reign of yuan shikai once also in the temple of heaven has played a ceremonial farce. In 1918, the temple of heaven park end up with open. After the liberation tiantan not only become the famous tourist attractions, and still part of the Beijing urban green space, come here not only is the tourists, also have some specifically for the old people vti).
Now let's put the altar along the route that the emperor start the tour.
re going to see is HuanQiu altar of ancient emperor worship. There are two ways HuanQiu surrounded wall, make foreign inside the circle, accord with that nature round place. Every wall all have four groups lingxingmeng, from east ordinal it is tai yuan, zhao heng, GuangLi, ChengZhen, each group sanmen, a total of 24 seats, called "cloud gate jade". You can notice, lingxingmeng size are different, this is because in door is god dedicated, so tall; Only from the door of the emperor into; But other officials can only from the right side of the door through the smallest. And the same platform is emperor ceremonies in worship before replacement offering clothing and wash one's hands and face with local, called served Chinese Taiwan. Came to HuanQiu altar, we'll start next put altar, but I please pay attention to each layer of how many steps square. To top it all, we also found, the altar all steps number, guard board number are nine or multiples of nine. Every board a layer, have 9 steps, mesa tablets of stone, called pure among the first lap the periphery of nine laps huge brick slab, the second lap fan 18 blocks, and so on, to most outside the 9th lap is just 81 block; And everybody looked can see enclosure panels were all steps is divided into four parts, each part also has nine pieces, while middle-level enclosure panel is 18 blocks, lower is 27 pieces, these aren't all be coincidence? Of course not, because according to the Yin yang-five elements, it is extremely Yang number nine, so ancient craftsman will use this digital to give HuanQiu sets the noble thoughts.
各位游客，我的介绍就到那里，如在参观游览的过程中有其他问题，请向我询问，我会再进行讲解。谢谢大家！
游客们，大家好！此刻我们位于北京市崇文区天坛路，我想有的朋友已经猜到了，我们的下一个景点就是美丽的天坛。
天坛，在北京市南部，东城区永定门内大街东侧。占地约270万平方米，是中国现存最大的古代祭祀性建筑群。南有天坛祭天，东有日坛祭太阳，西有月坛祭月亮，其中，天坛最光彩夺目。天坛始建于明永乐十八年，清乾隆、光绪时曾重修改建。为明、清两代帝王祭祀皇天、祈五谷丰登的场所。
同时，它也是中国木结构建筑的顶峰，全用木材就完成了这一惊世杰作。天坛另一美妙之处，是奇妙的回声。站在中心叫一声，你会听到从地层深处传来的明亮而深沉的回响，这声音仿佛来自地心，又似乎来自天空，所以人们为它取了一个充满神秘色彩的名字“天心石”。在皇穹宇的四周有一道厚约0.9米的围墙，你站在一端贴着墙小声说话，站在另一端的人只要耳贴墙面就能听得异常清晰，并且还有立体声效果哦！这就是神奇的“回音壁”。这证明500年前的中国人已经能够运用声学原理。
游客们，此刻请大家参观一小时，然后到门厅集合。
Today, well go to visit the Temple of Heaven. First, I'll give you a brief introduction of it. The Temple of Heaven is situated in the southern part of Beijing. It was first built in 1420 in the Ming Dynasty. It covers an area of 273 hectares. The Temple of Heaven is not only the largest group of temple building in China, but also the largest heaven-worshipping architecture in the world.
Originally the Temple of Heaven was built according to the Temple of Heaven and Earth in Nanjing, so both heaven and earth were worshiped here, then it was called Temple of Heaven and Earth at that time. In 1530, another structure, Temple of Earth was built in the northern part of Beijing and the Heaven and Earth were worshipped separately. Since only Heaven was worshipped in here, it was renamed the Temple of Heaven.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Temple of Heaven was the place where the emperors came to worship the God of Heaven and pray for good harvest. The emperors came here twice a year. The first time was on the 15 th day of the first lunar month. The emperor would come to the Hall of the prayer for Good Harvest and held a big ceremony to pray for a bumper harvest. The second time was on Winter Solstice, and a sacrificial ceremony would be held at the Circular Mount Altar to offer a sacrifice to the Heaven.
Being a sacred place for worshipping heaven, the Temple of Heaven had been twice seriously damaged by the Anglo-French Allied Forces in 1860 and the invading troops of the eight powers in 1900.
Architecturally speaking, the Temple of Heaven has two themes: the heave and the earth. The surrounding walls of the Temple of Heaven are 6 meters high with a semicircular wall to the north and square shaped wall to the south. This represents an ancient belief that the heaven was round and the earth was square. There are three main buildings in the Temple of Heaven, they are: the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Imperial Heavenly Vault and the Circular Mound Altar.