A good harvest would keep the commoners
happy and the emperor safe.
The layout is based on age-old Taoist principles.
The Yongle emperor decided
to move the Ming capital from Nanjing to Beijing, so in 1406 construction of the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City
started and everything was finished in 1420.
Later emperors, notably the very devoud Taoist JiaJing spent huge sums
on improvements and enlargements.
The temple complex features two main sections
The northern part symbolizes Heaven and thus is
circular, with as main building the Hall of Prayer.
The southern section symbolizes Earth and is square, with the Altar
to Heaven as centerpiece.
The Vermilion Steps Bridge, a 360 m long footpath connects Heaven to Earth.
Major renovations
took place in 2005 and were finished well before the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games.
