The Lantern Tower

The Lantern Tower

To the southwest of the Circular Mound stands the Lantern Tower, a cylindrical bamboo-woven lantern measuring 2.15 meters in height and 1.4 meters in diameter. The Lantern Tower Pole is as high as nine ancient zhang (28.8 meters), with a wish-fulfilling rod and pulley at its top to control the raising and lowering of the lantern. Below, it is stabilized by a stone-built Lantern Platform and clamp stones, while three massive wooden support poles provide further reinforcement, making the structure very stable. The grand ceremony begins before dawn, when the lantern is hoisted high atop the pole to signal the solemnity and sanctity of the entire altar. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were three such lanterns; in 1914, two were cut down during Yuan Shikai’s Heaven Worship Ceremony, leaving only one remaining today.

Temple of Heaven Park

Divine Music Administration

Hall of Imperial Zenith

Danbi Bridge

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests

Hall of Abstinence

Imperial Vault of Heaven

Echo Wall of the Temple of Heaven

Lingxing Gate of the Temple of Heaven

Ruins of the Circular Mound

Brazier for Burning Sacrificial Wood

Heart of Heaven Stone

Seventy-two Corridors

Gate of Sixty Years