Sunday, May 4, 2008Beijing
Unlike the small, boxy temples in Macau, temples in Beijing are huge, grand, and round, splashed in exquisite reds, blues and golds that look almost velvet-like from the ground. They gleam and they tower above the mere mortals that surround them...and they command an awesome respect as a result.
The Temple of Heaven—the original Tian Tan (remember the Big Buddha on Lantau?) is no exception. This 1,600 year old Buddhist pagoda is an architectural wonder, built entirely from wood without a single nail, topped with a gold finial that’s prone to lightning strikes. The blue rooftop represents the color of heaven; its circular shape symbolizes the sky.
On the winter solstice each year, the emperor—considered the Son of Heaven— would come here to pray to heaven and his ancestors for a good and productive harvest.
At the foot of the temple are three massive marble tiers, 20 feet high from top to bottom, interrupted by staircases that ascend to the temple itself. The photo here shows me at the base of these stairs, with a red incense “box” behind me.
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