The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a cultural tourism attraction.

Originally named the "Great Prayer Hall," it was initially a rectangular building used for the joint worship of Heaven and Earth. In the 24th year of the Jiajing reign (1545), it was reconstructed as a triple-eaved circular hall, with its roof covered in blue, yellow, and green glazed tiles from top to bottom, symbolizing Heaven, Earth, and all things.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is situated in the northern part of the Temple of Heaven and is also called the Altar of Prayer for Grain. It was first constructed in the 18th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1420), making it the earliest structure in the Temple of Heaven. After renovation in the 16th year of the Qianlong reign (1751), it was renamed the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. It was destroyed by lightning in the 15th year of the Guangxu reign (1889) and was rebuilt to its original design several years later. The current Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a circular building with a diameter of 32.72 meters, featuring a triple-eaved conical roof topped with a gilded finial and blue-glazed tiles. Each tier is slightly smaller than the one below, and the total height is 38 meters.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is the main structure of the Temple of Heaven, also known as the Altar of Prayer for Grain. It served as the place where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties prayed for good harvests at the beginning of spring. This is a three-tiered, circular, triple-eaved grand hall with magnificent gilded finials, blue tiles, red pillars, and richly colored paintings. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests adopts a construction form of an upper hall and lower chamber. The main hall is built upon a three-tiered white marble circular platform encircled by a 6-meter-high white marble balustrade, giving it a majestic appearance that seems to reach toward the sky. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a brick-and-wood structure with three tiers of eaves that taper upward like an open umbrella. Its architecture is unique, with no large beams, long rafters, or iron nails. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests was designed based on the concept of "revering Heaven and worshiping the divine." The circular shape of the hall symbolizes Heaven, while the blue tiles represent the blue sky. The number of pillars inside the hall is also said to be arranged according to celestial phenomena. The four inner "Dragon Well Pillars" symbolize the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter; the twelve middle "Golden Pillars" represent the twelve months of the year; and the twelve outer "Eave Pillars" signify the twelve two-hour periods of the day. The combined twenty-four pillars of the middle and outer layers represent the twenty-four solar terms. The total of twenty-eight pillars across all three tiers symbolize the twenty-eight lunar mansions in the sky. Including the eight additional pillar tops, known as "Child Pillars," there are thirty-six pillars in total, representing the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals. The thunder god pillar beneath the finial symbolizes the emperor's "unification of the world." The caisson ceiling of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is composed of two layers of bracket sets and one layer of inverted "V"-shaped brackets. The central part features a coiled dragon design, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship and structural ingenuity, making it truly splendid.

The interior structure of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is quite unique, using neither large beams nor long rafters, but instead relying on nanmu wood pillars and bracket arms to support the roof. There are twenty-eight nanmu wood pillars inside the hall, their number and arrangement corresponding to celestial phenomena: the four central Dragon Pillars are 19.2 meters high and 1.2 meters in diameter. At the center of the hall’s floor is a round marble slab featuring natural dragon and phoenix patterns, which echo the coiled dragon caisson ceiling above and the surrounding gilded paintings of dragons and phoenixes, giving the entire hall a resplendent and magnificent appearance.

The base of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is the circular Altar of Prayer for Grain, which has three tiers and is 6 meters high, presenting an imposing sight. Around the altar is a low wall, with a fire pit, burial pit, incineration stove, and dressing platform located in the southeast corner. To the north of the altar is the Hall of Imperial Heaven, a five-bay structure that originally housed ancestral spirit tablets before they were moved to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The altar area also includes auxiliary structures such as the Gate of Prayer for Good Harvests, Divine Warehouse, Divine Kitchen, Animal Slaughtering Pavilion, Sacrificial Animal Path, and Long Corridor. In the square south of the Long Corridor lies the Seven-Star Stones, which were placed there during the Jiajing reign as protective talismans.

Address: Within Temple of Heaven Park, No. 7 Dongli, Tiantan, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Type: Historical Site

Recommended Visiting Time: 20–30 minutes

Opening Hours:

Peak Season (April 1 – October 31): 8:00–17:30 (main gate stops selling combined tickets at 16:00); Off-Peak Season (November 1 – March 31 of the following year): 8:00–17:00 (main gate stops selling combined tickets at 15:30)

Ticket Information:

In addition to purchasing the general Temple of Heaven admission ticket, visitors need to buy a combined ticket of 20 RMB to enter the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Circular Mound Altar, and the Echo Wall. Alternatively, you can purchase the full Temple of Heaven combined ticket: Peak Season (April 1 – October 31) 34 RMB (includes general admission and inner attractions); Off-Peak Season (November 1 – March 31 of the following year) 28 RMB (includes general admission and inner attractions).

Temple of Heaven Park

Divine Music Administration

Hall of Imperial Heaven

Danbi Bridge

Hall of Abstinence

Imperial Vault of Heaven

Echo Wall of the Temple of Heaven

Lingxing Gate of the Temple of Heaven

Circular Mound Altar Ruins

Fire Pit

Beacon Tower

Heart of Heaven Stone

Seventy-Two Long Corridor

Gate of Sixty Years