Yonghe Temple (Lama Temple): Beijing's Most Impressive Buddhist Temple

I'm Hesham Al-Daaja from Jordan, based in China since 2019. Of all Beijing's temples, the Yonghe Temple (雍和宫) — the Lama Temple — is the one I'd tell every visitor not to miss. It's actively worshipped, not a museum. On a weekday morning, with incense smoke rising through the courtyards and monks moving quietly through the halls, it's one of the most atmospheric places in Beijing.

Quick Answer

Yonghe Temple (Lama Temple) is the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple outside Tibet, built in 1694 as a palace and converted to a temple in 1744.

🛕 Largest Tibetan temple outside Tibet📅 Built 1694, became temple 1744🕯️ Incense-filled, atmospheric

History

Built in 1694 as a residence for court eunuchs, converted to a palace for the future Yongzheng Emperor, then converted by his son the Qianlong Emperor into a Lamaist Buddhist monastery in 1744. Today it houses around 70 monks from Mongolia and Tibet and serves as both a working monastery and a major cultural site.

The Five Main Halls

Hall of Heavenly Kings: Entrance hall with a large Maitreya (laughing Buddha) and four heavenly kings.
Hall of Harmony and Peace: Main hall with three large bronze Buddhas — past, present, and future. Extraordinary craftsmanship.
Hall of the Wheel of the Law (法轮殿): A 6-metre bronze statue of Tsongkhapa surrounded by 500 arhats.
Tower of Ten Thousand Happinesses (万福阁): The most dramatic — a 26-metre Maitreya Buddha carved from a single white sandalwood tree, filling an entire three-storey tower. One of the tallest indoor Buddha statues in the world. UNESCO recognised.

Visit Info (2026)

Entry: ¥25 (includes incense sticks)
Hours: 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM. Closed Mondays.
Metro: Lines 2 or 5, Yonghegong station — exit A is right at the gate
Time needed: 1.5–2 hours
Best time: Weekday mornings — fewer tourists, more monks

Etiquette

Dress modestly — cover shoulders and knees.
Photography allowed in courtyards. Some halls have restrictions — follow posted signs.
Don't touch the Buddha statues.
The incense burning is active worship — treat it with the same respect you would any place of prayer.

Combine With

Directly across the hutong is the Confucius Temple (孔庙) and Imperial Academy (国子监). The combination of Buddhist and Confucian sites makes this the most intellectually interesting temple district in Beijing. Both together: 3–4 hours total. The Drum Tower and Nanluoguxiang are 15 minutes' walk west — easy to link into a full northern Beijing day. WhatsApp me to arrange a private driver.