Perhaps the most famous architectural monuments of China are the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, the Iron Pagoda in Kaifeng City and the Great Wall of China, which every child probably heard about.

The temple-monastery complex of the Temple of Heaven (Tiantan) in central Beijing includes the only temple in the city of round shape - the Temple of Harvest, often called the Temple of Heaven .It is located to the southeast of the Imperial Palace of Gugun (Forbidden City) and was originally called the Temple of Heaven and Earth, until in 1530 a separate Temple of the Earth was built .The initial value of the complex explains its unusual geometry: the southern part has the shape of a square, the northern part turns into a rounded ending .After all, according to the Chinese tradition, the circle symbolizes Heaven, and the square - the forces of the Earth .For hundreds of years on the day of the winter solstice, the emperors came here to give the Heavens generous gifts after a three-day fast, to have mercy on the bad weather and to ask for a good harvest .The buildings of the Temple of Heaven were erected in 1420 g .during the reign of the Ming Dynasty and occupy a total of 267 hectares .

The Iron Pagoda is an octagonal thirteen-story brick pagoda of the Yu Guo Buddhist temple in the Chinese city of Kaifeng .This is one of the central monuments of the Song Dynasty architecture that ruled in Kaifeng: it was built in 1049 and has a height of 56, 88 meters .In the decoration of the Iron Pagoda about 50 kinds of glazed brick of a specific metallic tide were used, from where it came to be called .The carving of the walls depicts the Buddha, monks, artists and dragons .Under the eaves 104 bells are hung, ringing at the slightest blow of the wind .In the interior of the pagoda, frescoes with illustrations to the classic novel Journey to the West deserve special attention .

The beginning of the construction of the Great Wall of China was made as far back as the 3rd century BC .e .during the reign of the Qin Dynasty: during the Warring States (475-221 yy .up to n .e .) it served to protect against the raids of the nomadic people of the Hunnu .The wall with all branches was 8 851 km 800 m .The length of the wall from edge to edge is 2,500 km .Later, during the Han dynasty (206 g .up to n .e .- 220 n .e .) The wall was expanded to the west, plus a line of watchtowers was constructed to protect trade caravans from nomadic raids .Plots of the Great Wall, preserved to this day, were built during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) .They were collected from brick and stone blocks, fastened with a limy solution of extraordinary strength .The Great Wall of China really was a serious fortification: it was possible to get inside only through special checkpoints that were tightly closed for the night: at night they could not be opened in any way - one time to wait until the morning had even a Chinese emperor!