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Built in the year 1694, the Lama Temple (or Yonghe Gong in Mandarin Chinese) used to be the residence of Prince Yin Zhen, a son of Emperor Kang Xi from the Qing Dynasty. Right after the crown prince came to the throne, one half of the residence started to be used as an imperial palace and the other half was converted into a lamasery. The Lama Temple is an imprtant part of the (Yellow Hat) Sect of the Tibetan Buddhism. The sect had managed to survive China's Cultural Revolution due to the protection of Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. he temple features 5 large halls and 5 courtyards with beautifully decorated archways, some upturned eaves and carved details inside. It is home to a treasury of Buddhist art, the art pieces including sculptured images of gods, demons and many Buddhas, and also Tibet-style murals. One of the most famous and well-known figures in the temple compound is in the Pavilion of 10,000 Happinesses: an 18 meters tall statue of the Maitreya Buddha carved from an only piece of White Sandalwood.
Located nearby to the Lama Temple, the Confucian temple in Beijing is also among the largest Confucian temples outside the province of Qufu, the bithplace of Confucius. It was actually constructed in 1302 though many additions and modifications have taken place since then. The Temple's main hall houses various musical instruments that were a very important part of Confucian ceremonies. The temple also houses 198 stone tables inscribed with the names of those individuals who passed the test to become a Mandarin during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties: there is a total of 51,624 names inscribed on the tables. The Confucian Temple is a part of a larger complex containing the Imperial College and many other buildings.
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