Yonghegun Lamaist Temple is the most famous Buddhist monastery, as well as one of Beijing's main historical and architectural monuments. Built in 1694, it was originally one of the residences of Emperor Kangxi. After ascending the throne of the emperor’s son, half of the building was converted into a Lamaist monastery. The new emperor began to rule under the motto of Yongzheng, and the name Yonghegun was assigned to the palace, which, on the one hand, can be translated as "Palace of Peace and Harmony", and on the other - "Palace of Yoon, Who Became the Emperor." In 1746, Yonghegun was rebuilt into a temple that became a Lamaist monastery. In it, Emperor Qianlong settled 500 Lamaist monks.
From south to north, one after another, there are five halls separated by courtyards:
The Hall of Heavenly Kings (Tianwandian) - is located south of the main hall, and was originally the main entrance to the monastery. In the center of the hall is a statue of Maitreya, and along the walls - Four Heavenly Kings;
The Hall of Harmony and Peace (Yonghegongdian) is the central part of the temple. In the hall there are three bronze statues of the Buddhas of the Three Times, a statue of Gautama Buddha (Buddha of the present) in the center, next to Buddha Kashyapa (Buddha of the past, right) and Maitreya (Buddha of the future, left). Along the walls are statues of 18 Arhats. The frescoes depict the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara;
Hall of Eternal Protection (Yongyoudian) - was the home of Emperor Yongzheng and became the resting place of him after death. Today the statue of Bhaysajya-guru (Buddha of Medicine) is installed in the hall;
The Wheel of Law Hall (Falundian) is the venue for major ceremonies. There is a large statue of Je Tsongkhapa, the founder of Geluk. In the hall there is also a “500 Arhat hill” carved from red sandalwood, on which are located arhat statues of 5 metals (gold, silver, copper, iron, tin);
Pavilion of 10,000 Joys (WanFuGe) - contains a 26-meter statue of Maitreya (Buddha of the Future), carved from a huge sandalwood. This statue is included in the Guinness Book in 1993. The height of the statue is 18 meters, in addition, it is believed that the statue is dug up to 8 meters in the ground.
The temple opened to the public in 1981. Today, Yunhegun is an active monastery of the Buddhist temple school of Galug, so shooting is prohibited in many rooms, however, the monastery has a museum dedicated to Chinese Buddhism and many shops where you can buy souvenirs and Tibetan silverware. On the way to the temple there is a whole block of shops selling incense sticks and other utensils.