There is a beautiful temple hidden in the Second Ring Road of Beijing. It is famous for its beautiful scenery in autumn and incense. Here, ginkgo trees and the ancient and exquisite buildings are intertwined with light and shadow, presenting a sense of Tibetan Buddhism. It is a niche scenic area that is worth visiting in Beijing — Lama Temple.

In the ancient capital of Beijing, relics of the old capital are distributed everywhere. On the inner side of the northeast corner of the North Second Ring Road, there are three groups of large-scale ancient buildings juxtaposed. To the west is the Guozijian, the highest academic institution for the central government of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, and the Confucian Temple, where Confucius was worshipped. To the east is the Bailin Temple, one of the “Eight Temples” in the capital of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

Between the two, there is another group of majestic ancient buildings with different styles. In the earth and gray base color, it is the first royal temple of the Qing Dynasty with a glorious and solemn style — the Lama Temple.

The Lama Temple has gone through three stages. It was the first residence of Emperor Yinzhen of the Qing Dynasty, the place where Emperor Hongli was born, and the "hidden residence" of the emperors of the two generations — Yongzheng and Qianlong. The middle section was upgraded to the palace of the Qing Emperor and eventually changed to a royal temple. The palace was built in the 33rd year of Emperor Kangxi (1694), and it was in the third year of Yongzheng (1725) when it became a palace and in the ninth year of Qianlong (1725).

The architectural layout of Lama Temple is complete, and the regulations are in line with Vanyu Garan. The seven buildings in the front present the standard layout of Chinese Buddhist temples in the style of "seven halls and garan".

The halls in the rear are raised step by step, symbolizing the solemn auspiciousness of the Buddha's world. The five Tibetan-style skylights on the top of the Falun Hall of the Great Scripture Hall imply that the Buddhist "Xumi Mountain" is surrounded by four continents.

The most important imperial inscription on the middle road of the monastery, "Lama Saying", shows the basic national policy of the government's participation in the management of religious affairs. status.

Lama Temple has always been famous for its incense. When autumn comes, the Ginkgo Avenue at the entrance has become the most dazzling scenery.

Ginkgo Avenue is one of the three major ginkgo avenues in Beijing, where visitors can feel the tranquility of autumn in the Vanyu Galan. The royal temple lined with red walls and yellow tiles is extraordinarily quiet and far-reaching.

With tall and dense ginkgo trees over 30 years old, it is known as "the most tranquil ginkgo avenue".

Address: No. 12, Yonghegong Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Translator： YE Lijuan

Reviewer: Shi Meiling