Beijing Story: the Temple of Heaven is not on the Central Axis

Mr. Liang Sicheng ( known as the father of modern Chinese architecture) thinks that “the Beijing central axis starts from Yongdingmen in the south and reaches the Bell and Drum Tower in the north.

To this day, the Central Axis is like the backbone of Beijing, supporting the city’s continuous development and growth.

Yongdingmen Gate, the start of the Central Axis

However, as seen from the map, the Temple of Heaven is not located on the central axis like Qianmen and Tian ‘anmen, but a little to the east of the central axis. So why is that?

The Temple of Heaven, like the Forbidden City, was built in the eighteenth year of Yongle (1420). At that time, there were no altars of Earth, Altar of Sun, Altar of Moon and Altar of Agriculture in Beijing.

As a unique group of sacrificial buildings in Beijing, the site of the Temple of Heaven could have been located near the Forbidden City, at a prominent position on the central axis, instead of the southeast of Beijing.

So 600 meters to the east from the central axis! Why such a big deviation? Could the ancient craftsmen have made mistakes in such an important place? Or is there any special emphasis on the Temple of Heaven?

In fact, the root cause is not the Yongle Emperor and the designers of the Temple of Heaven, but the sun in the sky. According to the “Book of Changes”, the southeast is the most abundant direction of the sun’s rays, of course, hence the best place to build worship heaven.

Therefore, the Temple of Heaven was chosen by the ancient people in the south of Beijing 600 meters away from the east of the central axis.

The entrance to Forbidden City, namely the southern gate, or Meridian Gate

Not only is the Temple of Heaven located on the east side of the central axis, but its own axis is not in the middle. Instead, it is in the east, which divides the Temple of Heaven into two parts: the big west and the small east.

Why the axis deviation in the Temple of Heaven itself? There are several claims as to the reasons behind the deviation. But one suggestion, I personally prefer is that the emperors entered the Temple of Heaven through the west gate, which is lined with green cypresses on both sides, and leads directly to Danbi Bridge.

Such a layout would make the road for the emperors to enter the altar longer and make the altar wider, hence the bigger west part of the temple.