Lama Temple

The Yonghe Temple, commonly known in the West as the Lama Temple, is the most important centre of Tibetan Buddhism in Beijing. The compound was built in 1694 under Emperor Kangxi as a residence for his son Yinzhen; after Yinzhen ascended the throne in 1722 as Emperor Yongzheng, the complex was converted in 1744 under Emperor Qianlong into a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in honour of his father. It thereafter served as a link between the Qing court and the Tibetan and Mongolian clergy and housed hundreds of monks for centuries. In the last great hall stands a 26-metre Maitreya statue carved from a single sandalwood trunk, a gift of the 7th Dalai Lama and listed as a national cultural treasure. Today the temple is an active place of worship and a much-visited destination between Beijings second ring road and the Confucius Academy.