Dome

Zhongshan Hall, interior detail of roof support beams; A Confucian altar, located in Zhongshan Park in Beijing, the southwest part of the old Imperial City. Built in 1421 by the Yongle Emperor, it was used to perform the national soil and grain ceremonies (one in spring and one in autumn). Part of the temple complex, the altar itself consists of a square terrace in the center of the park. Five different colors of earth are still kept at this altar, representing land from throughout the nation. By 1914, the altar grounds had become a public park known as the "Central Park", now Zhongshan Park. There are two temple halls north of the altar; Zhongshan Hall (Sun Yat Sen Hall) and the Jidian. After the death of Sun Yat Sen in 1925 his coffin was publicly displayed in the hall which was renamed for him. There is a large marble statue of him in the interior. The Jidian was originally the gate to the complex, changed into a hall used for conferences in 1924. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordartonline.com/ (accessed 6/21/2013)