The Heavenly Worship Platform

The Heavenly Worship Platform

The Heavenly Worship Platform

In the northwest of the old city in the eastern part of Changge, about two kilometers away, there is a cluster of robust and towering cypress trees—twenty-three in total, all of which are Han Dynasty cypresses and are designated as a municipal-level cultural heritage site. This area was originally an execution ground during the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era, but it was first established as a sacrificial altar, said to have been passed down from the worship rituals of heaven and earth by the Gaitian Clan.

In ancient times, during each harvest season, a high platform was erected where wild fruits and slaughtered cattle and sheep were placed. The Gaitian Clan led everyone in singing and dancing as a way to express gratitude to heaven and earth. The sacrificial activities of the Gaitian Clan grew larger in scale year after year, and crop yields also improved steadily. Later generations referred to the place where the Gaitian Clan worshipped heaven and earth as the Heavenly Worship Platform. It was not until the Han Dynasty that it was renamed the Altar of Soil and Grain. Due to the flourishing trees, favorable feng shui, and dragon vein energy at the Altar of Soil and Grain, as well as its flat terrain, people regarded it as a geomantically auspicious site. Following the customs passed down from the Gaitian Clan, people held annual ceremonies to worship all the gods of heaven and earth here. Over time, it became the traditional site for imperial heavenly worship through successive dynasties.