The Imperial Ancestral Temple is located southeast of the Forbidden City and faces the Altar of Land and Grain, both of which are symmetrically arranged on the west and east sides of Beijing Central Axis. This layout emphasizes the importance of Chinese ritual traditions in capital city planning to create an orderly cityscape. The Imperial Ancestral Temple complex faces south. It comprises a rectangular courtyard with an inner and outer courtyard sections. Most sacrificial buildings are located in the inner courtyard section, symmetrically laid out along the Axis. In the southeast of the outer courtyard section is the Stable for Sacrificial Animals Complex. There are 714 ancient cypress trees in the outer courtyard section, creating a solemn sacrificial atmosphere.

All the major buildings of the Imperial Ancestral Temple for sacrificial rituals are located within the inner courtyard walls. On a central axis running from south to north sit the Glazed Gate, the Jinshui Bridges, the Halberd Gate, the Sacrificial Hall, the Resting Hall, and the Distant Kin Temple. On the west and east of the axis are side halls, well pavilions, the Divine Kitchen, and the Divine Storage. Among the buildings, the Sacrificial Hall standing on a three-tiered sumeru pedestal possesses a particularly majestic appearance.

As the Ming and Qing venue for ancestral worship, the Imperial Ancestral Temple embodies the cultural tradition of "governing the country with filial piety” and symbolizes the legitimacy of the imperial dynasties rule projected on the imperial clan. Thus, it became the highest-grade ancestral temple during the Ming and Qing dynasties in China. How the Imperial Ancestral Temple's three main halls were used was closely related to China's ancestral temple system. The Sacrificial Hall was where the Ming and Qing emperors participated in grand ancestral worshiping ceremonies. The Side Hall on the east housed the spirit tablets of deceased imperial family members, whereas the Side Hall on the west was used to glorify the tablets of meritorious courtiers. The Resting Hall was where the imperial ancestors' spirit tablets were placed during normal days. The Distant Kin Temple was where the spirit tablets of the distant imperial ancestors were enshrined. Today, the Imperial Ancestral Temple is opened to the public as the Cultural Palace of the Working People in Beijing. It has since become the place for sightseeing, recreational performance, professional training, and exhibition.