Property: The Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing
Id. N°: 881
State Party: China
Criteria: C(i)(ii)(iii)
The Committee inscribed this site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (i), (ii), and (iii):
Criterion (i): The Temple of Heaven is a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design which simply and graphically illustrates a cosmogony of great importance for the evolution of one of the world's great civilizations.
Criterion (ii): The symbolic layout and design of the Temple of Heaven had a profound influence on architecture and planning in the Far East over many centuries.
Criterion (iii): For more than two thousand years China was ruled by a series of feudal dynasties, the legitimacy of which is symbolized by the design and layout of the Temple of Heaven.