Sheji Altar (Altar of Land and Grain) is located on the northwest side of the Tian'anmen Square, facing the Taimiao Temple (presently the Working People's Cultural Palace) on the northeast.

Emperors of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties offered sacrifices to the gods of the land and grain at Sheji Altar. The altar dates back to the Jin (265-420)-Liao (916-1125) period when the site was known as the famous Xingguo Temple in a Beijing suburb. Covering an area of over 360 mu (1 mu = 1/15 hectare), Sheji Altar was built in 1421 during the Ming Dynasty and comprises the Sheji Altar, the Worship Hall and the Halberd Gate.

The white marble structure contains a three-storied platform and is square in shape, keeping in tune with the expression: The sky is round while the earth is square. The altar is covered with Five-color Earth (yellow earth in the center, blue in the east, red in the south, white in the west and black in the north). On all four sides the short walls are covered in glazes of four different colors, according to direction. The Five-color Earth -- a tribute collected from around the country -- represented that earth under the Heaven totally belongs to the emperor and that the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire and earth are the basic elements from which all things were formed. Through the ages all emperors claimed to have taken the prescript of the God, and called themselves Son of Heaven. They regarded the Sheji as the foundation on which a nation was constructed, and held sacrificial ceremonies on the fifth day of the second month after the beginning of spring and autumn each year on important occasions, such as launching a battle, returning victorious and offering captives to the emperor. The altar was surrounded by three layers of walls and had a white marble gate, Lingxing Gate, located on each side of the inner wall.

The Worship Hall was as a shelter where emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties sought refuge from wind and rain on their way to the altar. After Sun Yat-sen died in 1925, his coffin was kept there before being buried; its name was changed to Zhongshan Hall three years later. A central park was built in 1914, and later acquired its current name, Zhongshan Park. A number of pavilions and houses were later erected around Sheji Altar. The park is famous for its age-old pines and cypresses, seven of which are said to be 1,000 years old with a perimeter of six meters each.