As a collection of Nine in the Temple of Heaven, the dome is divided into three layers: upper, middle and lower. Not only does the upper mesa of each floor span nine steps, but also each mesa has nine annular stone slabs, and the number of each annular stone slab is also a multiple of nine or nine. To redraw the key points, each layer has nine-ring fan-shaped slates and three layers have 27 rings. There should be 3402 fan-shaped slates in the dome.
In addition to 3402 bricks and "nine", the ball altar also hides the secret of another number: the diameter of the first floor of the ball is nine feet, which is the number of one and nine; Fifteen feet on the second floor is the number of three to five; Three floors and twenty-one feet. This is the number of Sanqi. The sum of the diameters of the three layers is exactly forty-five. Taking the number of five or nine is the "Ninth Five-Year Supreme" symbolizing the middle and right between heaven and earth.
Temple of heaven site
According to historical records, the outer wall of the Temple of Heaven in the Ming Dynasty was "nine miles and thirty paces", which was converted into more than 5,200 meters, and the overall area of the Temple of Heaven exceeded 1 10,000 square meters. "It's a pity that after Judy moved to the capital in the 19th year of Yongle in Ming Dynasty, Nanjing was no longer the capital where the emperor lived, and the Temple of Heaven outside Guanghuamen was also deserted, gradually dilapidated and the remains were hard to find." Sun Wei said. A few days ago, the reporter went to visit the site of the Temple of Heaven in the Ming Dynasty.
According to some records, the site of the Temple of Heaven in the Ming Dynasty is located in the southeast of Guanghuamen, that is, Tiantan New Village, Jiangjuntang and Guanmenkou. According to the data of cultural relics survey in 1980s, there is still a ridge on the outer wall of the Temple of Heaven in Ming Dynasty, which is located in Dong Tang, Jiangjuntan, Shimenkan Township, north of Ningwu Railway, about 3 kilometers away from Guanghuamen. This ridge runs from north to south, with a remaining length of about 77 meters, and collapses into a trapezoid with narrow upper part and wide lower part. There is a stone culvert site under the section, and the openings on the east and west sides are supported by arched stones.