YONGHE TEMPLE, Introduction

Hi, my name’s Rick, and I’m your personal guide. Along with MyWoWo, I’d like to welcome you to one of the Wonders of the World: the Yonghe Gong or Yonghe Temple.

The Yonghe Temple, also known as the Hall of Harmony and Peace, is a Buddhist monastery of the followers of the Dalai Lama. It is the largest in China and the best preserved.

The temple was built in 1694, during the Qing dynasty, where one of the residences housing the eunuchs of the emperor’s court once stood. It was replaced with a residence destined for Prince Yong. When the prince became emperor in 1722, half of the building was used as a monastery for Tibetan Buddhist monks, while the remaining part continued to be used as a palace.

After his death, in 1735, Emperor Yongzheng’s body was displayed in this temple in accordance with his wishes, and his successor, Emperor Qianlong, proclaimed it an imperial temple. The turquoise roof tiles were thus replaced with yellow ones, the color associated with emperors.

Over the years, the monastery was home to a large number of Tibetan Buddhist monks, from Mongolia and Tibet, and it became the center of worship of the Dalai Lama’s followers in China....