This temple, one place of worship for the "Son of Heaven", is constructed of white marble. Phenomenally, the roof is supported on wooden pillars which are not set with either nails or cements. Though the original structure was destroyed by fire in 1889, it was quickly rebuilt.

This structure, a Ming classic, focuses on the purity of the Imperial number nine and its factors. The number of stones in the course of a wall, the number of steps, the number of levels, all are significant and based on this numerology for good results.

Nearby is the "whisper wall" designed such that a whisper can be heard clearly around the 65 meter diameter (if there aren't too many tourists there to interfere with the sounds).