The temple of Heaven is located to the east of Yongdingmen Street.

The temple of Heaven was built in Ming Dynasty more than 300 years ago, when the emperor, ZhuDi was on the throne . All the temple and platforms are round because the ancients thought "the sky is round and the land is square", and so to associate it with the Heaven. It occupies an area of 100 hectares, more than twice the area of the Forbidden Palace. The buildings in it could be divided into two groups. The one in the south part, with the Round Hillock as its center, including Emperor Dome House and some other buildings, was the place where emperors used to worship Heaven. The one in the north part, with the Hall of Praying as its center, including Huangqian Temple, the Magic Kitchen, the room to kill live stocks, Seventy-two Corridors, etc., was used to pray for good harvests at the beginning of each year. There is a Danbi Bridge which connects to the groups.