China: Wanfaguiyi Hall, Putuo Zongcheng Temple (Pǔtuó Zōngchéng Zhī Miào), Chengde, Hebei Province

The Putuo Zongcheng Temple is a Qing Dynasty era Buddhist temple complex built between 1767 and 1771, during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735 -1796). The temple was modeled after the Potala Palace of Tibet, the old sanctuary of the Dalai Lama built a century earlier.<br/><br/>The Putuo Zongcheng Temple is a Qing Dynasty era Buddhist temple complex built between 1767 and 1771, during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735 -1796). In 1703, Chengde was chosen by the Kangxi Emperor as the location for his summer residence. The site is currently a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since the seat of government followed the emperor, Chengde was a political center of the Chinese empire during these times.<br/><br/><br/>The site is currently a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Chengde, formerly known as Jehol, reached its height under the Qianlong Emperor 1735-1796 (died 1799). The great monastery temple of the Potala, loosely based on the famous Potala in Lhasa, was completed after just four years of work in 1771. In the temple itself was a bronze-gilt statue of Tsongkhapa, the Reformer of the In the temple itself was a bronze-gilt statue of Tsongkhapa, the Reformer of the Gelugpa sect.