The Altar of Circular Mound Complex was the place for Heaven-worshipping on the Winter Solstice in the Ming and Qing dynasties and was built in the ninth year of the Jiajing period of the Ming dynasty (1530).

The Altar of Circular Mound, a three-tiered stone sumeru pedestal, sits at the courtyard’s center. The altar’s diameter decreases as the building rises. Each layer of the circular mound is covered with marble slates and encircled with a white-marble balustrade. The numbers of railing components are all yang in number (odd numbers), conforming to the concept of heaven.