Lama & Confucius Temple
The Lama Temple
The Lama Temple (or the Harmony and Peace Palace) was not originally built to be a temple at all. It was constructed in 1694 as a palace for Aisin-Gioro Yinzhen, the fourth son of Emperor Kangxi (r.1662 – 1722). It is for this reason that the building’s layout of five temples situated on a north-south central axis is more reminiscent of the Imperial Palace than a typical Tibetan temple.
When Emperor Kangxi died, his eldest son displayed signs of mental instability. As a result, the Imperial heirs competed for power – a deadly contest in which Aisin-Gioro Yinzhen was soon successful, declaring himself Emperor Yongzheng (r. 1723 – 1735) and subsequently relocating his court to the Imperial Palace.
Since the Emperor was considered a “Son of Heaven” former residences could not revert to secular use. It was usual therefore for such buildings to be converted to temples. (Many of Beijing’s temples, scattered north of the Imperial Palace share this provenance.) Emperor Qianlong (r. 1736 – 95), who is best remembered for his expansion of the Chinese protectorate to include Tibet, in 1744 promoted the conversion of the palace to a Tibetan lamasery. Part of his strategy to peacefully secure this territorial expansion was to win Tibetan political support by honouring its religion in the grandiose capital of Beijing.
The same Emperor Qianlong was also responsible for defending Tibet from foreign and civil war four times during his long reign. It must have been with a degree of gratitude that the Seventh Dalai Lama gifted to Beijing’s Lama Temple the 26 metre tall, carved, sandalwood statue of Maitreya, kept in the Tower of the Great Buddha. This and the bronze statue of Tsong Khappa (1357 – 1419), the founder of the Gelug Yellow Hat sect, are the prized religious artifacts of the temple.
It was like good choreography each detail so well rehearsed that it seemed effortless. My personal favourite was our hike with our children on the Great Wall and arriving in the first tower to find a chef ready with lunch was an astounding moment. It took my breath away.K.B., USA
Confucius Temple
A few hundred yards west of The Lama Temple, lies the Confucius Temple, the second largest in China after the sage’s ancestral shrine in his hometown of Qufu. Founded in 1302, under the Mongol Yuan dynasty, this temple came to prominence during its reconstruction in 1411 under the Chinese Ming dynasty.
An indication of its centrality in government life is seen in its roofs, like those of the constituent Imperial Academy, being tiled in Imperial yellow; this is the supreme Imperial accolade. During the Ming dynasty (1411 – 1644) the prominence of Neo-Confucianism signalled a renaissance of Han Chinese culture to obliterate the shame of the Yuan dynasty’s Mongol dominion. For this period, the Confucian Temple and Imperial Academy were archetypal symbols of the Han Chinese ruling elite. While a student’s exemplary scholastic achievement might win him command of a powerful ministry, poor behaviour bore the threat of capital punishment.
