The Temple of Heaven was built on a central axis. At the southern extreme is a square wall representing the earth, and at the northern extreme is a semicircular wall representing the heaven. The design was based on the primitive belief of "round heaven and square earth."
The Temple of Heaven has an area of 273 hectares with a layout in two squares one inside the other. Two walls divide the ground into the outer and inner parts. The outer wall is 6,416 meters long and the inner wall is 3,292 meters long. The northern part of the outer and inner walls is a semicircle and the southern part of them is square,
declining from north to south to symbolize the traditional belief that Heaven
was high and round and the earth was low and rectangular.
The Temple of Heaven is an outstanding representative of Chinese traditional architecture for its clever design and harmonious colors.
