Weekend Walk: A Quick Guide to Visiting the Yonghegong
Traveling along the North Second Road past Andingmen, the smell of car exhaust and the nearby canal baking in the August sun is replaced by something more mystical and exotic: the scent of incense hanging heavy in the air, a sign that Yonghegong, aka The Lama Temple, has finally reopened to the public.
The current Yonghegong complex dates to the late 17th century and was originally the home of Yinzhen, the Kangxi Emperor’s fourth son. Yinzhen succeeded his father in 1722 and moved to the Forbidden City but kept the family mansion and the newly enthroned Yongzheng Emperor (r. 1722-1735) rebuilt large sections of his former home into a part-time imperial crash pad and shrine.
The Yongzheng Emperor engaged in Buddhist cosplay
When the Yongzheng Emperor died, his son, the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1799), had to figure out what to do with the place. Not only was it dad’s old palace, but it was also the Qianlong Emperor’s birthplace, and the new monarch's mother was attached to the site.
Convention dictated such an august property couldn’t just be turned over to another relative or recycled for mundane purposes. In 1744, The Qianlong Emperor, in consultation with his spiritual advisors and his mother, who was a devout Buddhist, ordered the main sections of the palace converted into a monastery affiliated with the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism.
The Qianlong Emperor depicted as Manjusri
The decision had much to do with the emperor’s devotion to Buddhism. Still, there were strategic and political reasons for the emperor’s patronage. I have, however, been informed that if I delve too deeply into those reasons here, I will need to light my current visa on fire in a small ceremony at the airport.
Visiting Yonghegong is straightforward. You can reserve a ticket via their official WeChat account or rock up to the ticket window waving your passport, Green Health Kit status, and looking appropriately lost and foreign, and somebody will sort you out.
The parking lot is surrounded by four archways. Before it was a parking lot, the space in front of the ticket windows continued east as a hutong toward the nearby Bailin Temple. That route is now blocked for traffic.
Beyond the ticket and security entrance is a path flanked by ginkgo trees which turn a brilliant yellow every autumn.
Ginkgo Trees at Yonghegong
At the end of the approach is the Zhaotai Gate. Note the multi-lingual signage. From right to left, the languages are Manchu, Chinese, Mongolian, and Tibetan. Many of the stele, inscriptions, and signs inside are also written in these four languages, a reflection of the multi-cultural nature of Qing imperial rule and the many different groups who were adherents of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism.
Sign over Zhaotai Gate in (from right to left) Manchu, Chinese, Tibetan, and Mongolian
Yonghegong still has some of its palace ornamentations. You’ll see yellow rooftops, bronze guardian statues, and quite a few elements that recall sections of the Forbidden City. At the same time, the first courtyard also has a drum and bell tower and a large bronze vat once used to distribute porridge to worshippers during the Laba Festival at the end of the traditional Chinese year.
Bronze guardian statue at Yonghegong
The hall at the north end of the first courtyard beyond the Zhaotai Gate was the palace entrance in Yinzhen’s time. Today it contains an image of the Maitreya Buddha and the four guardian spirits referred to as “The Heavenly Kings.”
Passing through this hall leads to the second courtyard, which contains some of the more important relics. There are two 18th-century bronze incense burners. The southern incense burner is the subject of an old – and vaguely destructive – legend that tossing a coin onto the uppermost roof of the burner’s iconography is good luck. Today, the monks prefer visitors not throw metal objects at an 18th-century relic. The pavilion in the middle of the courtyard contains a stone stele with an inscription written in four languages by the Qianlong Emperor describing his reasons for patronizing Tibetan Buddhism and his connections to the religion.
The main hall, also called Yonghegong, contains three icons of the Buddha flanked by statues of the 18 arhats, figures in Buddhism who followed the teachings of the Buddha and finally achieved a state of perfection and enlightenment. The three larger images in this hall are usually identified with the Buddhas of the past, present/historical Buddha, and future. With the notable exception of the Maitreya in the entrance hall, the icons at Yonghegong reflect Tibetan and Nepalese influences, with many craftspeople from Tibet and Nepal participating in the creation and design of the images.
Yonghegong (Hall) at the Lama Temple
The third building, Yongyou Hall, contains – you guessed it – three more Buddhist icons, including those associated with medicine and longevity. Don’t miss the embroidered image of a Green Tara on the western wall. Monastery legend claims that this is the personal handiwork of the Qianlong Emperor’s mother.
As you walk around Yonghegong, look back through the gates and notice how each courtyard is a level higher than the one before. You’ll also see how the architecture gradually becomes less reminiscent of a Beijing palace and more like a monastery on the Tibetan Plateau.
A good example of this transition is the fourth building, the Falun Hall (Hall of the Wheel and the Law). This hall is still used as a worship and study space by the monks in residence. That’s why there are lamps and seats installed. The large statue in the middle is Tsongkapa (c. 1357-c. 1419), considered the founder of the Gelug School.
Statue of Tsong-kha-pa in the Falun Hall at Yonghegong
There are two thrones in the Falun Hall that, in imperial times, would have been used by the traditional leaders of the Gelug school. (Google: “Leaders of the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism,” and you’ll see who we mean). At the rear of the hall are a wooden offering bowl (once a bathtub used by the infant Qianlong Emperor) and a glass-enclosed diorama representing the sacred Mountain of 500 Arhats.
The highlight of Yonghegong – and one of the most extraordinary sites in Beijing – is the Hall of 10,000 Happinesses. The hall itself is interesting, with flying buttresses – rare in Chinese religious architecture – connecting the main structure to two side towers, one of which contains a (formerly) working animatronic lotus.
Hall of 10,000 Happinesses at Yonghegong
But inside the hall is the main attraction: An 18-meter tall statue of the Maitreya, carved by Nepalese craftspeople from a single sandalwood tree (Guinness certified it, so it must be true). Note that about one-third of the Giant Maitreya is below ground, set firmly to prevent the enormous statue from toppling over in case of an earthquake. The interior of the Hall of 10,000 Happiness has been under renovation this year, so it may or not be open when you visit, but if it is, be sure not to miss it.
Colossal Maitreya at Yonghegong
The side pavilions at Yonghegong are also worth exploring. These were used as classrooms and chapels by the monks (who now occupy nearby modern structures). There’s also a museum with artifacts from earlier periods in the monastery’s history, including wild costumes and masks used in whirling dances and ceremonies once performed annually to keep away evil spirits.
Yonghegong is open every day from 9am-5pm (last tickets sold at 4.30pm) in the summer and from 9am-4pm (last tickets sold at 4pm) from Nov 1 to Mar 31. Tickets are RMB 25 and can be reserved in advance on the official WeChat account (Passports accepted, but the account is only in Chinese) or via the ticket windows at the discretion of the staff. You can get there, conveniently enough, by taking Line 2 or Line 5 to Yonghegong Subway Station. Free incense is provided at kiosks throughout the complex for those who wish to leave offerings or prayers.
About the Author
Jeremiah Jenne earned his Ph.D. in Chinese history from the University of California, Davis, and taught Late Imperial and Modern China for over 15 years. He has lived in Beijing for nearly two decades and is the proprietor of Beijing by Foot, organizing history education programs and walking tours of the city, including deeper dives into the route and sites described here.
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Images: Uni You, Wikicommons, Author's collection
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