Photography Princes’ Thrones in the Qinian Hall at the Temple of Heaven

A black-and-white photograph showing part of the interior and the throne of the princes in the Qinian Hall (Qiniandian 祈年殿), which literally means “Hall of Supplications of the Year”. It stands in the Temple of Heaven (Tiantan 天壇) in Beijing as the central part and the main hall of the complex. It was built in 1420 by the Yongle Emperor (reigned 1402–1424). Here the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties performed the rites of heavenly worship twice a year. In Qinian Hall, on the day of the summer solstice, the emperor made offerings to the heavens and the ancestors, asking them for favour for the coming half year. In literature it is often called “Hall of Prayer for a Good Harvest”. It is the oldest and most famous part of the Temple of Heaven complex.

In the centre of the hall is the most sacred part, the Holy Altar, on which the plate of the God of heaven was ritually placed. On the other eight altars arranged around the wall, the plates of ancestors (lingpai 靈牌) were placed, namely the plates of former emperors who, according to tradition, became gods and joined the God of heaven. Even today, gifting the ancestors is customary in China. People place on home altars ancestral plates with the first and last names and the year of birth and death of the deceased along with filled sacrificial vessels and incense, honouring their ancestors as the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties were honoured. In front of the thrones are two of the four “Pillars of the Dragon Well” (longjing zhu 龍井柱). They are distinguished from the other 24 pillars by their golden patterns on an otherwise red background. The four pillars represent the four seasons.

The entire area around the Qinian Hall is only a few hectares in size and is part of the 273-hectare Temple of Heaven complex, now located in southeastern Beijing. It consists of a square courtyard surrounded by a wall. The venue can be reached through three entrances that connect the temple with other facilities such as the ritual kitchen in the east, the Changing Terrace, and the Butcher’s Pavilion. The last emperor to bow to heaven at the Temple of Heaven was Yuan Shikai 袁世凱 (reigned 1915–1916), who for several months tried unsuccessfully to revive the monarchy. This marked the end of a centuries-old tradition. Today, the Temple of Heaven is on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List, as it is the largest religious complex in the world.

The photograph is the 177th of 449 photographs of Beijing and its surroundings in the album of Ivan Skušek Jr., purchased during his stay in Beijing (1914–1920). In the handwritten inventory of the album, the photograph is referred to as Himmels-Tempel: Inneres des Haupttempels ( Prinzenthrone ). (DZ, MV)