Some twenty years ago there was still a fairly large number of stamp shops in Stockholm, the Swedish capital. In one of the shops I discovered a set of three Chinese stamps (Scott # 131-3) which I found most attractive. They were issued in 1909 to mark the first year of the reign of Emperor Hsuan Tung. He later became president and emperor of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo, a most interesting story which has been made into a successful movie called The Last Emperor.

The stamps were in pristine unmounted mint condition and they were priced at less than 50 cents a set. The dealer had some 15 sets which he was happy to sell to me. This turned out to be one of my best stamp investments ever; now two decades later leading dealers charge more than $15 for such a set.

The three bi-coloured stamps all depict the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, the Chinese capital.

When going through my programme for a visit to China in the spring of 2006 I recalled my purchase in Stockholm. The Temple of Heaven was one of the famous sights in Beijing that was included in the packed schedule. I really looked forward to having a look at the temple which had aroused my curiosity all those years ago.

The Temple of Heaven as depicted on the stamps of China

Along with my Chinese guide Miss Li Jing I spent several hours at the Temple of Heaven. As it turned out this was far from sufficient to have a look at everything. The Temple of Heaven is a huge park with a number of important temples and other buildings which were used by the Chinese emperors in a number of religious ceremonies.

The Temple has a very long history going back to 1420. It was originally built by Emperor Yongle and then used by all subsequent Ming and Qing emperors to pray for good harvests. During the centuries the temple complex was continually reconstructed and enlarged.

The Temple of Heaven is the largest sacrificial architectural group in the world. It is also the best preserved.

The temple complex has numerous important buildings including the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests which is the building shown on the stamps. It is a round building with magnificent interior decorations in orange, red, yellow, green and other colours.

This is where the Qing dynasty emperors held a ceremony each year praying for good harvests on the 10th day of the first lunar month. All the other buildings served special purposes in connection with these annual ceremonies. I was lucky to have an excellent guide to tell me many of the interesting facts.

The Imperial Vault of Heaven is also known as the Echo Wall. Jing ran to the other side of the building and then pronounced my name at normal voice level. I heard my name clearly thanks to the acoustical qualities of the semicircular wall.

The Divine Music Administration was another highlight of the visit. This is where students learnt to play a variety of instruments in connection with the ceremonies. Today it is a museum devoted to the history of Chinese music. At times concerts are also given here. All in all there are more than 600 architectural constructions in the park which is also famous for its many old cypresses.

In 1918, the Temple of Heaven was opened to the public as a park. Then in 1998 it was listed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO. Today the Temple is a must on the itineraries of all visitors to the Chinese capital.

Even after China had become a republic in 1912, the Temple of Heaven remained a powerful symbol for the Chinese people. It has been depicted frequently on Chinese stamps. In 1913 China released a new set of definitives with the denominations from 15 to 50 cents depicting a man reaping rice. If you look carefully at the design you will also see the Temple of Heaven in the background which is most appropriate as the emperors used to ask the gods for good harvests at the temple.

In 1923, China adopted a new constitution and this important event was commemorated by four elegant stamps (Scott # 270-3). Once again the stamps show the Temple of Heaven.

When the People’s Republic of China issued its first airmail stamps (Scott # Cl-5) in 195 1 the design depicts a mail plane over the Temple of Heaven. Obviously the temple has become a national icon very much like the Great Wall of China.

In subsequent years there have been many other issues which incorporate the Temple of Heaven in one way or the other.

Having found the Temple of Heaven one of the absolute highlights of my visit to China I am considering assembling a small exhibit of the stamps that have been issued to commemorate this important historical treasure in the Chinese capital.

Writing this story and looking at the stamps made me relive that pleasurable spring morning in Beijing when I and Jing explored the many temples and other buildings making up the Temple of Heaven. We even listened to some Peking opera and had a look at an exhibition of paintings by art students from Xian.