Lama Temple.
In the northeast of Beijing, just inside the second ring road, lies Yonghegong, or Yonghe Temple, also commonly know as the "Lama Temple". This temple is an active Tibetan Buddhist monastery and one of the largest in the world.
The complex was, however, not originally built for this purpose. It was constructed in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty, initially serving as a residence for court eunuchs until it became the residence for the future Emperor Yongzheng. When the then-prince was officially made emperor in 1722, he converted half of the residence into a lamasery. Although his coffin was placed in the temple upon his death in 1735, it wasn't until 1744 that the the entire complex was made into into a fully functional Tibetan Buddhist lamasery by the Qianlong Emperor. After this a number of Tibetan and Mongolian monks resided in the lamasery, which helped to keep the peace and prevented the Great Wall from being extensively constructed during this period.
The temple comprises five large halls, all laid out along a 480-meter-long north-south axis and connected by courtyards. In each hall there is a Buddhist statue, the most famous of which can be found in the fifth and final hall. The first of these, the Hall of the Heavenly Kings (Tianwangdian or Devaraja Hall), was the original entrance to the monastery and contains statues of the Four Heavenly Kings. The following Hall of Harmony and Peace (Yonghegong), in which three bronze statues of the Buddhas of the Three Ages can be found, is the central building of the lamasery.
The Hall of Everlasting Protection (Yongyoudian) now houses a statue of Bhaisajya-guru, and the Hall of the Wheel of the Law (Falundian), in which the Emperor's wives previously resided, is where Buddhist ceremonies are now held. The fifth and northernmost hall is the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happinesses (Wanfuge). It is especially well-known for the 26-meter-high statue of the Maitreya Buddha contained therein, which was carved from one single piece of Tibetan sandalwood. All of the temple buildings have gold tile roofs, indicating the temple's imperial status, granted in 1744 by the Emperor Qianlong.
Although - or perhaps because - the Lama Temple is one of the main tourist attractions in Beijing, in has in recent years been criticized for being too "commercial". However, the beauty of the architecture makes it worth one's while.
The Lama Temple is easily accessible by taking subway line 2 or 5 to "Yonghegong". There are also a number of buses which go there: 13, 18, 44, 62, 116, 407, 807.
Lama Temple (Yonghegong)
12 Yonghegong Dajie, Beixinqiao, Dongcheng District
Phone: 010 6404 3769
Opening hours:
9 am - 4:30 pm