THE OPEN ALTAR OF HEAVEN AND THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN, PEKING.
THREE miles to the south of the Imperial Palace, in the Chinese quarter of Peking, is an extensive park-like enclosure, containing the temple and the open altar of Heaven shown in Plates Nos. 41 and 42. In the enclosure here referred to are two altars, one to the north and the other to the south, protected by triple walls, of which the outermost is nearly three miles round. The northern altar, commonly designated the Temple of Heaven, is shown in No. 42, and is, as nearly as possible, a counterpart of the open or southern altar. Both are built of marble, and both have triple terraces, surrounded by marble balustrading. The north altar, however, supports in its centre a building with triple roofs, covered with light blue tiles, and symbolical of heaven (the altar in its original form had no such superstructure), while the south altar presents on its top a plain round marble platform open to heaven, where the Emperor offers sacrifice to Shanti, the Supreme Lord of Heaven and Earth, at the winter solstice, on December 218t. Such altars as these seem to be relics of an extremely ancient and primitive form of worship in China, when monotheism was probably the prevailing faith. Here, as Le Comte asserts, we possibly see the purer form of patriarchal worship practised by the Chinese before the advent of Confucius, and before the Buddhist missionaries had appeared. The ceremonials connected with this state worship, when the Emperor officiates as high-priest, are still followed out with the strictest minuteness of detail. Le Comte says, " Fohi, the first Emperor of China, carefully bred up seven sorts of creatures, which he used to sacrifice to the Supreme Spirit of Heaven and Earth, and at the present time special breeds of animals sacred to the temple are reared in the adjoining parks, and subjected to the scrutiny of the Emperor before they are offered in sacrifice. The bullocks arc black, and are chosen with the greatest care, so as to be free from blemish; no less pains being taken with the smaller animals. I visited the slaughter-house, where the victims are put to death and prepared. This building, which is reached through a cloister 700 feet long, had fallen out of repair, but I was assured that all would be set right in time for the winter solstice."
" The south altar," says Mr. Edkins, " is the most important of all the religious structures in China." He also gives very interesting details of its dimensions, as well as of the symbolic numbers of the stones which form the upper platform, of the terraces, the balustrades, and even of the flights of steps. Nine and multiples of nine make up, in every case, the most prominent combinations, for nine is the favourite number in Chinese philosophy. " The altar consists of a triple circular terrace 210 feet wide at the base, 150 in the middle, and 90 at the top. On these notice the multiples of three, 3X3 = 9, 3 X 5 = 15, 3 X 7 = 21, &c." The platform is laid with marble stones, forming nine concentric circles, the inner circle consisting of nine stones, cut so as to fit with close edges round the central stone, which is itself a perfect circle. Here the Emperor kneels and is encompassed, first by the circles of the terraces and surrounding walls, and then by the circle of the horizon. He thus seems to himself and his court to be in the centre of the universe," and so on, the same symbolism being carried on throughout the details of the altar.
The sacrifice at the time of the winter solstice takes place before daybreak; three huge lanterns swing from high poles, casting their lurid light over the scene, while the air is filled with the smoke of burnt offerings, and the sound of music. For further details on this point, I refer my readers to the interesting account of the Temple of Heaven given by Mr. Edkins in the concluding chapters of Mr. Williamson's " Journeys in North China."
