this is the residence of Emperor Yong Zheng
where he stayed until
he went on
succession of the throne
at the age of 44
simply because
Emperor Kang Xi was one of the
longest ruling king on the planet
for almost 60 years
Yong Zheng is in power for 13 years
until the sudden dead and
his son, Qian Long
who inherited the throne is
another long reigning Emperor
58 years on the throne
he could go on, yet
he stepped down so that
his Granddad preserved the title of
“Longest Reign”
so the wait was kinda long
for Yong Zheng
Yong He Gong therefore
witnessed loads strategic planning of
the ambitious yet low-profile Prince
His Mystery is a ardent follower of
Tibetan Buddhism
hence after he went on throne
the palace has been frequently used
for related functions and
has been officially transformed
into a Lama Temple
during the reign of his son
Emperor Qian Long 乾隆
the iconic Flying bridge
there are “3 Treasures” of the Lama Temple:
Bronze Bodhisattva Statutes, 銅鑄照佛
Purple sandal wood craved
Mountain with 500 Arhats,
紫檀木雕的五百羅漢山
White sandal wood craved
Maitreya Buddha Statute
白檀香木雕刻彌勒佛像
which I didn’t manage to capture
them all
haha sounds like Pokemon game, isn’t it
“gotta catch’em all”
except the first because
the photography policy is
real real strict here
you bet I don’t wanna get into trouble
I probably wouldn’t mind
paying another visit
provided that I have read up
more on Tibetan Buddhism
this is actually a hot spot for
Lunar New Year prayer
I read about
80,000 flooded in
on the first day of Lunar New Year?
*jaw dropped*
How to get here:
Beijing Subway
Line 2 (baby blue) / Line 5 (baby pink)
how sweet, right
Yong He Gong station 雍和宮
right across the street
is the Confucius Temple and
National Academic
therefore a half day trip will do
to cover the 3:
- Confucius Temple 孔廟
- National Academic 國子監
- Yong He Gong Lama Temple 雍和宮