The Temple of Heaven, literally The Altar of Heaven (Traditional Chinese: 天壇; Simplified Chinese: 天坛) is situated in the southern part of Beijing.
In ancient China, the emperor was regarded as the "Son of Heaven", who administered matters on the earth on behalf of the heavenly authority. To show respect to the heaven, ceremonies for sacrifices to heaven were extremely important to the emperor. The temple was built for the worship of heaven and prayers for good harvests.
The Altar of Heaven is one of the four grandest temples located throughout Beijing. The other prominent temples include The Temple of Sun (日坛), The Temple of Earth (地坛), and The Temple of Moon (月坛).