Lama Temple - Yonghegong, Beijing

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This temple was first the palace of a prince. When he became the Emperor, he donated it to the Tibetan Buddhists, because it was not allowed to live in the palace anymore. The Lama Temple Yonghegong was for a very long time the residence of the Panchen Lama, when he visited Beijing.

Now the Lamassery is bustling with live. Ok, this is a photo taken on a cold winter day in 1988. I have been there again during Springfestival in 1999 and I had to queue for 15 minutes to make my bows to the famous wooden Buddha there!

Bus routes: Take Buses 13, 62, 116, 117 or take the subway and alight at Lama Temple Station

Opening hours: 09:00 - 16:39

Admission fees: 25 Yuan, 12 Yuan for students

Yonghe Gong is the biggest tibetan Buddhist Lama temple in Beijing. This was built in 1694 as the residence of Prince Gong in the Qing dynasty in 1725.
Only in 1744,emperor Qian Long changed it into a lamasery.

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Active Tibetian temple in the middle of Beijing. A must see sight for a taste of Chinese culture. The Lama Temple is one of the few temples in China allowed to practice the Tibetian version of Buddhism.

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The architecture of this place is just as amazing as forbidden city.

Another great place for pictures, but unfortunately, you can't take any inside the inner halls of the temple.
There is a statue of the buddha that stands at 6 storeys high, tallest buddha carved out from a single tree trunk. An incredible sight!

Yonghegong was built in AD1694 by Emperor Kang Xi, as a residential palace for his fourth son - Prince Yong Zheng. After the death of Kang Xi, Yong Zheng became the Emperor (he ruled China from AD1723 to AD1735) and moved into the Forbidden City.

After Yong Zheng's death, his coffin was placed in Yonghegong for a brief period of time, and the roof tiles had to be changed to yellow ones (yellow is the colour which is used by the Emperor, the tiles were originally green). Another fact - Yong Zheng's son, Qian Long, was also born here, and he became the next successor to the throne.

The architecture of this temple is very different from the other lama temples, as it was originally a Prince's residence. Its architecture therefore resembles a mini palace (eg. like the Forbidden City, the main entrance faces the south, the red walls and yellow tiles indicated that 2 emperors once lived here).

You'll see 4 different languages on the signs - Chinese, Manchurian, Tibetan and...I forgot what the last one was!

Lama Temples, or Yanghegong has a long history. It was originally built in 1694 and was originally used as an official residence for the court eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty.

It was later converted into the royal court of Prince YongZheng, a son of Emperor Kang Xi of the Qing Dynasty. Before the prince ascended the throne in 1693 of Kangxi's reign of the Qing Dynasty, it was renamed as Yonghegon.

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The Lama Temple is a magnificent Tibetan Buddhist complex built around 1700.

Now that religion is allowed in China, the Lama Temple is very active, with many faithfuls burning armloads of incense.

The superb architecture and the spiritual atmosphere combine into an unforgettable visit for foreigners.

When I visited, in January 2005, closing time was 4:30pm (my guidebook said 4:00). And it was quite haunting, with the priests closing the incense burners and the shutters.

Before or after the visit, remember there are many intriguing Hutong nearby.

Another temple inside the lama temple complex is the Yonghedian (Yonghedian : Hall of Eternal Harmony).

It was built in 1694.

At the central altar you can see the Buddha’s of the three ages: the middle one is Sakayamuni (the Present), the Past Buddha is to the right, and the Future Buddha is to the left.

Sorry if the picture is not really sharp, but it was taken very fast with my small digital camera without flash as it was in fact prohibited to make pictures, sorry . . .