At the northeast corner of the old city of Beijing, the Yonghe Lamasery is the most intact one in Beijing. Covering an area o square meters, it was built in a style that mingled the architectural elements of the Hans, Monglos, Manchus and Tibetans. In the 33rd year of the reign of Kangxi of Qing Dynasty (1694) it was built as the Palatial Residence of Prince Yong. Inthe third year of the Yongzheng reign period (1725) it was developed into an imperial palace and renamed Yonghegong. In the ninth year of the reign of Qianlong (1744), it became a lamasery and the center of the Qing government to handle Lamaist affairs.

The Yonghe Lamasery is mainly composed of three memorial archways and five main halls. In the Ten-Thousand-Happiness Pavillion, a 26-meter-high (including eight meters undergroud) statue of Maitreya carved out of a single sandalwood trunk is one of the tallest wooden statues of Buddha in China.

(China National Tourism Administration)