Yonghe Gong, Beijing, China

Yonghe Gong, aka the "Palace of Peace and Harmony Lama Temple", or simply the "Lama Temple", is a temple and monastery of the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism located in the northeastern part of Beijing. The building and the artworks of the temple combine Han Chinese and Tibetan styles. A royal residence until 1744, the palace was converted into a lamasery for monks from Tibet and inner Mongolia. While seemingly an active Buddhist center today, it is also a front for propaganda on how China guarantees religious freedom of the minorities. The monks seem far from genuine; in 1995, the puppet Panchen Lama chosen by the Chinese state was swon in here, soon after the boy chosen by the Dalai Lama mysteriously "disappeared" and remains missing. (Read more, official plaque)

Tibetan Lama Temple	Courtyard scene	Laughing Buddha	Inside the complex
One of many halls			One of many shrines
Another shrine			Complex buildings
Bronze statue of the ...	... founder of the Yellow Hat sect of Buddhism	Hall of the Wheel of Law (1, 2)	Tibetan dieties (more)
Local dieties			Yansui pavilion with Lotus throne
Giant Maitreya Buddha			Wanfu pavilion wall detail
Yongkang Pavilion	Feng Shui Lion	Entrance Gate	Ornate Gate near entrance