East Asia Transit Lounge: Lama Temple (Yonghe Gong) 雍和宮

The Yonghe Temple , also known as the "Palace of Peace and Harmony Lama Temple", the "Yonghe Lamasery", or - popularly - the "Lama Temple" is a temple and monastery of the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism located in the northeastern part of Beijing, China. It is one of the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world. The building and the artworks of the temple combine Han Chinese and Tibetan styles. Building work on the Yonghegong Temple started in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty. It originally served as an official residence for court eunuchs. The temple is said to have survived the Cultural Revolution due to the intervention of Prime Minister Zhou Enlai. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yonghe_Temple)

The entrance

The atmosphere at this temple was one of calmness in a haze of incense.

The main courtyard

Persimmon Tree

Glazed ceramic roofs and ornate figures

The roof of a building is believed to belongs to the spirits, according to Chinese culture. It acts as a platform where the spirits can descend and ascend between the two worlds. The ornate figures on the roof are there to assist in this communication with the celestial world, attracting good fortune, protection and blessings. These roof decorations are generally found on temples and palaces and the number of figures along the ridge depends on the significance of the building. For example, the roof of the main temple in the forbidden city has 11, the highest number of figures found on any roof. (This history lesson by LS is now over and you can continue your browsing.)

The covered statues

Tibetan tantric statues with ferocious-looking gods and goddesses in sexual union are covered due to government required modesty. Absurdly, the adjacent building displayed uncovered smaller versions of the statues.