The Temple of Heaven is a complex of imperial religious Confucian buildings located in the southeastern part of central Beijing, China. It was visited by the Emperors of the Ming dynasty and subsequently restored by the Qing dynasty for use in annual ceremonies. These rites were performed to pray to Heaven for successful harvests and other seasonal events.
Inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1998, the complex is recognized as a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design. Its symbolic layout and design have had a profound influence on architecture and planning across the Far East over many centuries, illustrating a cosmogony significant to the evolution of one of the world's great civilizations.