Exercise 6

The Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven, covering an area of 273 hectares, was built in 1420 for the emperors of Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty to worship heaven and pray for good harvest.
The Temple of Heaven, built in 1420 and covering an area of 273 hectares, was the place where the emperors of Ming and Qing Dynastied worshiped heaven and prayed for good harvest.

It mainly consists of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, the Circular Mound Altar and the Imperial Vault of Heaven.
天坛是明、清两代皇帝祭天祈谷的地方，建于1420年，占地面积273公顷
The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, originally built in 1420, was turned into a cone-shaped structure with triple eaves and a gilded ball on the top in 1545.It was rebuilt in 1890 and repaired in 1971. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest is where the emperor prayed for good harvest. It is 38 meters high (including 6meters ofstone terrace), 30 meters in diameter, built of bricks and wood, with no beam in the center.
祈年殿建于1420年，1545年又改建为一座镏金宝塔的三重檐圆殿，1890年重修，1971年又进行了休整。祈年殿是皇帝祈谷的地方，殿高38米，直径30米，砖木结构，没有横梁。
Built in 1530, the Imperial Vault of Heaven contains the famous Echo Wall and the Triple Sound Stones here.皇穹宇建于，1530年 著名的“回音壁”“三音石”就在这里。
Built in 1530, the Circular Mound Altar was a place for the emperor to pray for good harvest on the winter solstice and to pray for rain in summer. The Circular Mound Altar is a three-layer stone altar decorated with white marble railings. Speaking in the middle of the altar, one’s voice will sound particularlyloud and clear圜丘建于1530年，是皇帝冬至祭天和夏季祈雨的地方。圜丘是镶有汉白玉石栏杆的三层石台，站在台面中心说话，声音显得格外洪亮。