There is a beautiful monastery hidden in the Beijing's second ring road, which becomes even more beautiful in the autumn, where there are countless worshippers, ginkgo trees and ancient exquisite architecture intertwined with light and shadow, presenting a Tibetan Buddhist ancient Zen. It is a niche attraction that is worth visiting when you visit Beijing  - The Lama Temple.

There are relics of the old capital scattered all over Beijing, and in the northeast corner of the North Second Ring Road, there are three large groups of ancient buildings side by side. To the west is the Temple of Confucius, the highest institution of learning in the center of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties - Guozijian. The Imperial College and the place of worship for Confucius; to the east is the Berlin Temple, one of the "the Eight Temples" of the capital during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.

Between the two, there is another lofty and spectacular group of ancient buildings with a very different style in a dust gray base color, especially highlighting its brilliant and solemn royal momentum, here is the first temple of the Qing dynasty court - The Lama Temple.

The Lama Temple has experienced three stages: the earliest for the Qing emperor Yinzhen as the Baylor and Prince of the period of the residence, the Qing emperor Hongli's birth and growth place. The middle section is upgraded to the Qing emperor's palace. It was eventually changed to the royal temple. The royal residence was built in the 33rd year of the Kangxi era (1694), "the residence was transformed into a palace" in the 3rd year of the Yongzheng era (1725), and "the palace was transformed into a temple" in the 9th year of the Qianlong era (1744), when the capital of the Qing Dynasty was set in Beijing.

In the Lama Temple, the building layout is complete, in line with the rules of the Buddhist temples and monsterizes. The front of the temple stands a pagoda and an imperial Passageway was laid in front of the Zhaotai gate showing all the royal imperial building momentum.

The seven buildings in front of The Lama Temple: Zhaotai Gate, Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Yonghe Gate, Yonghe Palace, Sutra Hall and Tantric Hall, present the standard layout of Chinese Buddhist monasteries.

The halls at the back rise step by step, symbolizing the solemnity and auspiciousness of the Buddha's world. The five Tibetan-style skylights at the top of the Falun Palace in the Main Assembly Hall are a symbol of the Buddhist "Sumeru Mountain" surrounded by the four major departments of the continent.

The establishment of "The Four Graw-tshang", namely the Sutra Hall, the Tantric Hall, the Shilun Hall and the Medicine Hall, signifies that The Lama Temple is a complete institution of learning of Tibetan Buddhism.

The most important imperial inscription in the middle of the monastery, " Proverbs of Lama", made the basic state policy of government participation in the management of religious affairs known to the world, and established the status of Yonghegong as the "first royal monastery" in Kyoto and the "center for the management of Tibetan Buddhist affairs" of the Qing government.

Ginkgo viewing at the Lama Temple

The Lama Temple has always been famous for its uncountable worshipers, and when autumn comes, Ginkgo Avenue at the entrance of The Lama Temple becomes the brightest scenery.

The ginkgo avenue at the entrance of The Lama Temple is one of the three major ginkgo avenues in the capital, and as soon as you enter, you can feel the quiet autumn. Set off by the red walls and yellow tiles of the royal temples, it is extraordinarily serene and has a deep Zen feeling, which is interesting in the midst of the bustling city.

The ginkgo trees here are all over 30 years old, and the trees are so tall and dense that they are known as "the most secluded ginkgo avenue".

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