The temple of heaven

The temple of heaven is situated in the southern part of Beijing. It was first built in 1420, in the Ming Dynasty, during the time when the Forbidden City and some other important imperial structures were constructed.

It covers an area of 273 hectares(674 acres), in which the forest land covers 163 hectares. The lawn has more than 10 hectares with over 3600 ancient trees, so the Temple of Heaven is covered up with 89% vegetation.

The Temple of Heaven is not only the largest group of temple buildings in China, but also the largest heaven worshipping architecture in the world.

In 1961, the Temple of Heaven was listed as one of the important historical monuments under special preservation by the Chinese Government, and in 1998 it was listed as a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO.