China vacations info - Beijing Lama Temple

This article is about the Beijing travel and Lama temple. You can find some useful information in it if you are planning your Beijing travel now.

Lama Temple (Yonghegong) :
This Lama Temple was built as a mansion for Emperor Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty when he was a prince. In 1744, the temple was converted into a lamasery and the home of larger numbers of monks from Mongolia and Tibet. The lamasery has five halls. The prayer halls contain many superb statues including the 23-meter-high Maitreya, caved from a white sandalwood tree brought from Tibet, as well as Tibetan sculptures and a great copper cauldron.

The Yonghe Temple, also known as the “Palace of Peace and Harmony Lama Temple”, the “Yonghe Lamasery”, or - popularly - the “Lama Temple” is a temple and monastery of the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism located in the northeastern part of Beijing, China. It is one of the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world. The building and the artworks of the temple combine Han Chinese and Tibetan styles. ( info for your China vacations and China travel)

The Lama temple is a famous lamasery located in the northeastern part of the old city of beijing. it was a palatial residence built in 1694 by qing emperor kangxi for his fourth son, prince yongzheng who later succeeded to the throne. this magnificent temple consists of five main buildings lying on the?north-south axis, with annex halls standing on both sides. the temple is listed by the chinese government as one of the important historical monuments under special preservation. after the death of his father, emperor yongzheng moved to the forbidden city. the compound was closed to ordinary people and was renamed yonghegong (the palace of harmony). green roof tiles were replaced by yellow ones to suit a monarch's home. in 1744 his successor emperor qianlong converted the palace into a lamasery.( info for your China vacations and tours)

The Lama Temple includes five buildings and three courtyards. The buildings here imitated the style of Han, Manchu, Inner Mongolia, and Tibet. The whole building complex can be divided into three parts- east part, middle part and west part. The middle part is on the axle line. From south to north lie the Arch Courtyard (Pailou Yuan), the Gate of Zhaotai (Zhaotai Men), the Hall of Heavenly Kings (Tianwang Dian), the Hall of Harmony and Peace (Yonghegong Dian), the Hall of Blessing (Yongyou Dian) , the Hall of Dharma Wheel (Falun Dian), the Ten-Thousand-Happiness Pavilion (Wanfu Ge), and so on.There are “three bests” in Lama Temple. The first to be mentioned is the statue of Maitreya in the Ten- Thousand-Happiness Pavilion (Wanfu Ge). The statue of Maitreya was carved out of a single trunk of white sandalwood. It is 26m high, 8m in diameter, 18m above the ground and 8m underground. According to historical record, it was a gift for Emperor Qianlong from the 17th Dalai Lama. The second “best” is the big sculpture of “Five Hundred Arhats Mountain” in the Hall of Dharma Wheel (Falun Dian). The sculptured mountain is carved out of black sandalwood with 500 arhats, and cast in gold, silver, copper, iron and tin. All 500 uniquely styled arhats are vividly carved and exquisitely engraved. The sculpture is of very high value due to the excellent craftsmanship. The last one is the Golden Niche which was made of nanmu. All of those make the Lama Temple mystical and attract more people. ( info for your China vacations and trips)

To get here, you can take the Line 13, 62, 116 or 807 city buses. The subway is also a good option. It can take you to the station named "Lama Temple Station" and this station is very close to the Lama Temple. The price for the entrance ticket is 25 rmb for one person and you can get a 50% off if you can show them your student ID. Office hours: 9:00 - 17:00. Some tips here: You can bargain when shopping in the Lama Temple. The incense here is very good and you can buy some if you want.

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