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 is 3.72 meters high, 0.9 meters thick, has a diameter of 61.5 meters, and a circumference of 193.2 meters. Inside the wall are three structures, one of which is called the Imperial Vault of Heaven. The entire wall is smooth and neatly constructed.

　　The Echo Wall produces an echo effect. If two people stand behind the east and west side halls respectively, close to the wall, and one person speaks towards the north with their ear against the wall, the sound waves will refract continuously along the wall and travel to the other end, even up to one or two hundred meters away. No matter how softly the person speaks, the other can hear them clearly, and the sound is prolonged, creating a curious and almost mystical atmosphere that evokes a sense of "heavenly resonance."

　　The Imperial Vault of Heaven is located to the north of the Circular Mound Altar. It is the place where the spirit tablets used in the Circular Mound Altar ceremonies are enshrined and stored. Originally built in the ninth year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1530), it was initially named the Hall of the Supreme God. In the seventeenth year of Jiajing (1538), it was renamed the Imperial Vault of Heaven. It is a double-eaved, round, pointed-roof structure. Reconstructed in the seventeenth year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1752), it was changed to a single-eaved, blue-tiled, round, pointed roof with a gilded finial. It is 19.5 meters high and 15.6 meters in diameter, featuring a wooden arch structure with entrances facing south. There are no beams inside the hall. The roof is supported entirely by eight perimeter columns, eight gold columns, and numerous brackets, ingeniously applying principles of mechanics. The three-layered caisson ceiling gradually contracts at each level, a rare feature in ancient architecture.

　　Outside the main hall are the famous Echo Wall, the Three Echo Stones, and the Dialogue Stone. Additionally, there is the so-called “whisper that sounds like thunder to heaven,” referring to the Three Echo Stones. These stones are 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 whisper on earth heard as thunder in heaven,” symbolizing that all human words and actions are observed by the heavens.

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

Temple of Heaven Park

Circular Mound

Divine Music Administration

Hall of Imperial Heaven

Danbi Bridge

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests

Imperial Vault of Heaven