Friday, 29 march 2024
The 10 most beautiful ceilings
Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests,
Temple of Heaven, Beijing
Temple of Heaven, Beijing
Temple of Heaven is a vast complex of religious buildings built during the reign of the Ming Dynasty Yongle emperor (born Zhu Di). Completed in 1420, the three-tiered Hall of Prayer evoked and represented the hours, days, months and seasons of the years in an architecture of precise geometry and gloriously colourful timber components culminating in an imperious dome. The 125ft (38m) high temple was constructed without a single nail, the timber columns and rafters slotting together like a giant building kit. The distinctive colours represent various evocations of good fortune, joy, prosperity and the glory of imperial rule. Burned down in 1889 and rebuilt, the temple interior was repainted to look brand new for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
- Week in pictures: 18-24 March (10 foto) 26.03.2017
- London attack aftermath (16 foto) 26.03.2017
- Tea is one of simbols of Azerbaijan (9 foto) 25.03.2017
- Protests and marches in major cities of EU (8 foto) 25.03.2017
- Best of first (15 foto) 24.03.2017
- Fighting for peace (8 foto) 23.03.2017
- The Walled Off hotel by Banksy (10 foto) 03.03.2017
- Azerbaijan - the Country of Fires (11 foto) 29.01.2017
- Great works of art depicting snow (10 foto) 10.01.2017