around the Giant Square Moated Altar outside of the Hall, but during all other days of the year, the Goddess was honored through this smaller Altar inside the Temple Hall.
In other words: This Temple Hall was the day-to-day heart of Life and Ceremony at the The Temple of the Earth, and the Altar was the actual Main Altar and Shrine where the Confucian' Priests dedicated to service of the Earth Goddess would hold their Daily rituals and honorary services. The Big Altar only served as the altar conduit for The Emperor to communicate with the Heavens & Earth, at which Time the Priests were at attention, however would be standing back in order to let the Emperor go through his Rituals by himself.
The Main Giant Altar thus was only used by the Emperor, and in fact off-limits to the ordinary Priests.
This page was last updated on: June 18, 2017
Upon entering the Hall one is enveloped by sudden Coolness.
The hall itself is surprisingly spacious and quite dark inside. Although the Hall appears low when viewing the Exterior from the Courtyard, once inside it appears High and Lofty.
The exquisitely decorated wooden ceiling is painted in dark green and blue tones with golden lines and carried on an intricate system of brackets and supporting beams, all of which were recently restored in 2008 AD (after taking of these Photos).
Coming in from the Doorway one is confronted by a small side Altar serving the spiritual needs of current visitors to the Temple Hall. Upon the Altar are various sacrificial relics and symbolic animals seen in the Confucian School of thought.
Ditan Park, DongCheng District
(5) Altar Temple Interior
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Sound Bonus: Chinese Traditional Melody on the Pipa instrument, "Melody from a Bamboo House". Composed by Zhen Qi-Ren and Performed by Liu Fang.
Have a look around the Hall of the Earth Goddess and discover a multitude of glass exhibition boxes holding a large variety of historic objects on one side, a series of Model displays in the middle and a Collection of small Red Stele Tablets on a larger Altar on the other side of the Hall. Furthermore, a collection of Huge Musical instruments using Jade Chimes are lined up along the North Wall.
You are looking at the modest but significant Collection of the Ditan Cultural and Historic Exhibition. This small Museum was established inside of the Temple of the Earth Goddess after its restorations in the year 1986
View inside the Hall of the Temple of the Earth Goddess from the Doorway.
White Marble Platforms and Ritual Tablets serving as Part of the Restored Altar inside the Hall of the Temple of the Earth Goddess.
AD. Before used as a Library as part of the Public Park established in 1925 AD, the new function of the Hall brings back a Museum function to remember and appreciate the Ming Dynasty Era (1368 AD - 1644 AD) and its Cultural Legacy. Part of the small but interesting Exhibition are various models of what the Ditan Park looked like during its earliest Years of function in the Jiajing Reign of the Ming Dynasty (after 1534 AD when the Altar and Park were established). Another displayed Model depicts another Altar of Earth, the first Earth Altar constructed during the Ming Era and the forerunner of the Di Tan in Beijing, the original Altar established on Mount Zhongshan (better known as Purple Mountain or Zijin Mountain
View of the Ditan Cultural and Historic Exhibition inside the Hall of the Temple of the Earth Goddess.
(Chinese: 紫金山; literally "Purple- Golden Mountain"), also known as Bell Mountain) outside of Nanjing (Jiangsu Province) during the first Three Reign Periods of the Ming Dynasty.
Check out the historically accurate models and browse through a number of ritual utensils displayed inside the Glass Boxes. There are various kinds of green tiling used in the roofing on the various Temple buildings plus the explanation of their symbolic functions and use, a great variety of larger and smaller ritual pots for holding the sacrificial offerings, and more utensils or copies of them from the Ming Dynasty Era. Anyone specifically looking for these kinds of objects can have a Ball. Others will likely get bored soon.
Historically accurate depiction of the Altar of the Earth and adnex Temple & Altar of the Earth God(dess) while in function during the Summer Solstice Ceremony of the Ming and Ching Era's.
Next, check out the Musical Instruments stored alongside the Wall or directly Head over to the other side of the Hall.
On the Western side of the Hall of the Earth Goddess stands the Altar of the Earth Goddes, where further ritual offerings were made to the Goddess. The Temple only served a minor function during the main ceremony of the Summer Solstice (around June 24) which centered
A Model of the First and Original Ming Altar of the Earth on the outskirts of Nanjing, the First Capital of the Ming Dynasty.
Below: Overview of the Interiors, Altar and Tablets at the Temple of the Earth God(dess) at Ditan Park (November 2007).
