Beijing Destination Guide

A renowned Temple of Yong He Lamasery, the Yellow Hat Board of Yonghe Temple The Yonghe Temple also known as the alace of Peace and Harmony Lama Temple? the onghe Lamasery? or - popularly - the ama Temple?is a temple and monastery of the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism located in the northeastern part of Beijing, China.

Sect of Lamaism is the elegant, largest & most perfectly preserved lamasery in north part of China in present. It was built initially in 1694 for the resident of Emperor Yong Zheng when he was just a price before he ascended the throne. After his death in 1735, the dynasty formally changed the status of his dwelling to that of a lamasery and Yong He Lamasery became the national center of Lama Administration, and lived with large number of monks from Tibet and Mongolia. It has many remarkable treasures but 3 ones should be visited: the Stone Tablet of Emperor Qianlong Inscriptions, a 26 meters higher of huge Status of Buddha in Tibet religion feature, the Resident and Throne of Dalai Lama while Dalai Lama were in Beijing. The inscriptions caved on the tablet with four languages are in intelligently talking on the reason of the importance and a must that whole nation & dynasty has to treat religions well in China.

2)Yonghe Palace is a temple and monastery of the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism located in the northeastern part of Beijing. The building and the artworks of the temple combine Han Chinese and Tibetan styles.

Building on the Yonghe Palace started in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty. It originally served as an official residence for court eunuchs. It was then converted into the court of the Prince Yong (Yin Zhen), a son of the Kangxi Emperor and himself the future Yongzheng Emperor. After Yongzheng's ascension to the throne in 1722, half of the building was converted into a lamasery, a monastery for monks of Tibetan Buddhism. The other half remained an imperial palace.

After Yongzheng's death in 1735, his coffin was placed in the temple. The Qianlong Emperor, Yongzheng's successor, gave the temple imperial status signified by having its turquoise tiles replaced with yellow tiles which were reserved for the emperor. Subsequently, the monastery became a residence for large numbers of Tibetan Buddhist monks from Mongolia and Tibet.

3)Yonghegong Lama Temple is located at the northeast corner of Beijing City. It was originally used as official residence for court eunuchs of the Ming dynasty and was converted to the royal court of Prince Yongzheng during the 33rd year (1693) of Kangxis reign of the Qing dynasty. In the 3rd year of Yongzhengs rein (1725), it was elevated to imperial palace for short stays away from the capital with the name changed to Yonghe Palace of Peace and Harmony. During the 9th year of Emperor Qian Longs reign (1477), it was change into Lama Temple.

The dimensions of the temple are magnificent, which have five courtyards in a row. The front structural layout in the temple is bright and spacious dotted with screen walls with carved murals, lifeless things and decorated archways. The interior pavement leading to the main halls and the evergreen pine and cypress appear to be rather peaceful and secluded in the environment. The back structural layout is composed of a cluster of building, halls and pavilions intermingled with each other, and upturned eaves and ridges beautifully interwoven presenting a picturesque sight.

Palace of the Heavenly King, Yonghe Palace, Eternal Blessing Hall, the Hall of the Wheel of the Law and Hall of boundless Happiness are the main structures. Amongst which the Hall of the Wheel of the Law is extremely imposing; the overall arrangement of its plane diagram forms a cross sign and there are five petty garrets on the ceiling decorated with small lama pagodas, which are characterized by the style of lamaism. The Hall of Boundless Happiness is the biggest building in the Lama Temple of Peace and Harmony flanked by the Hall of Everlasting Health and the Hall of Peace. They are connected by a corridor of the Suspension Hall, which form a cluster of majestic dignified buildings. In the Hall of the Boundless Happiness, stands a famous huge statue of Buddha, 26 meters high carved out of a whole piece of sandalwood; it is the biggest wood-carving Buddha in the world.

4) Yonghegong Lama Temple, located in the northeast of Beijing's city center, is also known as the "Palace of Peace and Harmony Lama Temple.'' Construction of the Temple began in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty. Originally, it served as the official residence for court eunuchs but it was converted into the court of Prince Yong (Yin Zhen), after Yongzheng's ascension as Emperor. After Yong Zheng's ascension to the Imperial throne, half of the complex was converted into a Tibetan monastery. The Qianlong Emperor, Yongzheng's successor, granted the temple the status of and imperial palace by having its turquoise tiles replaced with yellow tiles (yellow tiles were traditionally reserved for emperors). In 1744, it became a residence for Tibetan Buddhist monks from Mongolia and Tibet, becoming the most renowned Tibetan Buddhist Temple in China outside of Tibet.

The main building is the Hall of Harmony and Peace (Mahavira Hall or DaXiongBaoDian). It houses three bronze statues of the Mahavira Buddha sculptures of the Three Ages. A statue of Gautama Buddha (Buddha of the Present, also called Sakyamuni) is in the middle. Kasyapa Matanga statue (Buddha of the Past) and Maitreya Buddha statue (Buddha of the Future) stand on the right and left side respectively. Along the sides of the hall, 18 Arhat statues are placed. The 18 Arhats are the disciples of Samkyamuni. On the western wall is a mural showing the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.

Hall of the Wheel of the Law (FalunDian), with 5 gilded pagodas, functions as a place for reading sutras and conducting religious ceremonies. It houses a 6m tall bronze statue of Tsong Khapa, founder of the Geluk (Yellow Hat) School of Buddhism. The hall also houses a carving made of red sandalwood with 500 arhat statues made from five different metals - gold, silver, copper, iron and tin.

Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happiness displays a gigantic (18m) statue of the Maitreya Buddha carved from a single piece of White Sandalwood. This statue is one of three artworks in the temple that were included in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1993. Today, there are still at least 130 lamas living in the temple.

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