Echo Wall of the Temple of Heaven

Echo Wall of the Temple of Heaven

The Echo Wall is the enclosing wall of the Imperial Vault of Heaven in Beijing's Temple of Heaven. It stands 3.72 meters high, 0.9 meters thick, has a diameter of 61.5 meters, and a circumference of 193.2 meters. Within the wall are three structures, one of which is called the Imperial Vault of Heaven. The entire wall is smooth and even.

The Echo Wall has an acoustic effect—when two people stand behind the eastern and western side halls and press against the wall, one person speaks toward the north along the wall. Sound waves will refract continuously along the wall, traveling to the other end over 100–200 meters away. No matter how softly the person speaks, the other can hear clearly, and the sound lingers, creating a fascinating effect that produces a mysterious atmosphere reminiscent of a “heavenly connection.”

The Imperial Vault of Heaven is located north of the Circular Mound Altar and serves as the place where the spirit tablets used in the altar’s ceremonies are stored. It was first built in the ninth year of the Jiajing reign during the Ming Dynasty (1530), originally named the Hall of the Supreme God, and renamed the Imperial Vault of Heaven in the seventeenth year of Jiajing (1538). It is a double-eaved circular cone-roofed structure. Reconstructed in the seventeenth year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1752), it was changed to a single-eaved structure with a gilded finial and blue-glazed tiles. It stands 19.5 meters high and has a diameter of 15.6 meters. Its wooden arch structure opens to the south. The hall contains no crossbeams; the roof is supported entirely by eight eave pillars, eight golden pillars, and numerous brackets—an ingenious application of mechanical principles. Its three-tiered caisson ceiling recedes layer by layer, making it a rare feature among ancient architecture.

Just outside the main hall are the famous Echo Wall, the Three Echo Stones, and the Dialogue Stone. Among them, there's the so-called “whisper heard as thunder” phenomenon at the Three Echo Stones. Located on the pathway in front of the Imperial Vault of Heaven, standing on the Three Echo Stones and clapping your hands will produce three echoes. This phenomenon is referred to as “a private word on earth heard as thunder in heaven,” symbolizing that all human words and deeds are observed by the heavens.

The Circular Mound Altar is a site established in the Ming Dynasty, located in the southern part of the Temple of Heaven. It served as the venue for the emperor’s Heaven Worship Ceremony, also known as the Altar of Heaven Worship. Major structures here include the Circular Mound, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, side halls, the Divine Kitchen, the Three Storehouses, and the Slaughtering Pavilion. Supporting structures include the Dressing Platform and the Lantern Viewing Tower.

Location of the Attraction

Inside Temple of Heaven Park, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Temple of Heaven Park

Divine Music Administration

Hall of Imperial Heaven

Danbi Bridge

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests

Hall of Abstinence

Imperial Vault of Heaven

Lingxing Gate of the Temple of Heaven

Ruins of the Circular Mound

Fire Sacrifice Furnace

Lantern Viewing Tower

Heart of Heaven Stone

Seventy-two Corridor

Gate of Sixty Years