Danbi Bridge

Danbi Bridge

Built in the 18th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1420), it is 360 meters long and 30 meters wide, a massive and lengthy brick and stone platform. It is called a bridge because there are two culverts beneath it. Danbi Bridge runs from south to north, with its southern end slightly elevated above the ground and its northern end more than 4.5 meters above the ground. It connects the Circular Mound’s Chengzhen Gate to the south with the southern brick gate of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests to the north, linking the Circular Mound and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests together and forming the main axis of the Temple of Heaven’s architecture.

Danbi Bridge is flat and broad, with white stones paved along the center. The stone surface is slightly raised and arched. In ancient times during ceremonies, this path was used for the divine procession and was called the Sacred Way. On both sides of the Sacred Way are brick-paved open areas for emperors and officials to walk on.

To the east of Danbi Bridge is a square brick platform called the Attire-Changing Platform, enclosed by carved stone railings on three sides. This was where the emperor would wash and change clothes during ceremonies. Each year when the Prayer for Good Harvest ceremony was held in the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a circular tent called the “enclosure” (commonly known as the “Little Golden Hall”), a movable structure, was first erected on this platform. Before proceeding to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the emperor would come here to the “Little Golden Hall” to change into ceremonial attire. During the Ming Dynasty, the emperor would also remove his shoes before proceeding to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, symbolizing purity and ensuring no dust would be brought onto the sacred altar. After removing his shoes, the path he walked on—the Sacred Way (i.e., Danbi Bridge)—would be covered with coir mats. This wide passageway leads directly to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

Beneath the avenue is an east-west arched passageway called the Livestock Entrance. During each ceremony, livestock were bound with yellow velvet ropes, live fish were carried in wooden basins, and drums and music accompanied their passage through this gate. Hence, this passage is also called the Ghost Gate.

The Temple of Heaven is divided into an inner and outer enclosure. The inner enclosure consists of the Circular Mound and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. The northern part of the inner enclosure is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, and the southern part is the Circular Mound. A 360-meter-long Danbi Bridge connects the two enclosures, with the main structures of both concentrated at the bridge’s ends. The southern end of Danbi Bridge features the Circular Mound and the Imperial Vault of Heaven, while the northern end has the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Hall of Imperial Zenith. To the east of Danbi Bridge are auxiliary buildings that support the ritual functions of the Temple of Heaven, such as the Slaughtering Pavilion, Divine Kitchen, and Divine Storehouse. To the west of Danbi Bridge is the Hall of Abstinence, where the emperor stayed in retreat before major Heaven-worshipping ceremonies. The outer enclosure is a forested area with many trees planted. In the southwestern part of the outer enclosure is the Imperial Music Office, which was used during the Ming and Qing dynasties for practicing ritual music and training musicians and dancers for ceremonies.

Danbi Bridge, also called the Sea-Paved Avenue, is the main axis of the inner enclosure of the Temple of Heaven, connecting the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Imperial Vault of Heaven. It is a 360-meter-long, 29.4-meter-wide brick and stone platform. “Dan” means red, and “bi” originally referred to the steps in front of a palace. This straight and open road is also called Danbi Bridge because there is an arched passageway beneath it, creating a three-dimensional intersection with the road above. The southern end of Danbi Bridge is about 1 meter high, while the northern end is about 3 meters high, gradually ascending from south to north. This symbolizes the emperor’s rise in status and his ascension to heaven. It also signifies that the journey to heaven is not only one of gradual ascent but also a long and arduous path. As a path to heaven, the central stone slabs of the bridge are called the Sacred Way. To the left of the Sacred Way is the Imperial Path, reserved for the emperor, and to the right is the Royal Path, for nobles and ministers. The gods and deities walked along the Sacred Way, the emperor on the Imperial Path, and the nobility on the Royal Path.

Temple of Heaven Park

Imperial Music Office

Hall of Imperial Zenith

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

Circular Mound Ruins

Brazier for Burning Sacrificial Wood

Beacon Tower

Heart of Heaven Stone

Seventy-Two Corridors

Gate of the Sixtieth Year