The Potala Palace-style Temple is located on the north side of Shizigou, Chengde City, Hebei Province, on the hillside directly north of the Mountain Resort. It was built during the Qianlong period. It was constructed by Emperor Qianlong to celebrate his 60th birthday and his mother’s 80th birthday. It is also one of the larger temples among the Eight Outer Temples in Chengde. ‘Potala Palace-style’ is originally a free translation of the Tibetan word ‘Potala’.
It was built in the form of the Potala Palace. Therefore, people still commonly call it the ‘Little Potala Palace’. Saying this is a temple is rather like saying it is a castle. The overall building follows the terrain of the mountain, rising layer by layer, with majestic and magnificent momentum. The entire temple is divided into two parts. The first half consists of the mountain gate, stele pavilion, Five Pagoda Gate, and more than 30 flat-roofed watchtowers in the style of Tibetan blockhouses. They are arranged in accordance with the mountain terrain, in an orderly and scattered manner, with a flexible depth layout. There is no obvious central axis. From a distance, they appear as a unified whole, fully reflecting the characteristics of Tibetan architecture. The second half is the main building of this temple, the Grand Red Terrace. It is located on the mountain top, with majestic momentum and a magnificent sight. The Hall of the Unity of All Dharmas inside the Grand Red Terrace is the main hall of this temple. The roof of the hall is made of gilded gold and shines brightly. It is hailed as the Golden Hall by Chinese and foreign tourists. Main buildings: Mountain gate. The mountain gate of the Potala Palace-style Temple is a building combining Qing and Tibetan styles. Above the Tibetan three-volume gate and white platform is a Qing-style attic with five bays and a yellow glazed tile roof. In front of the mountain gate are a pair of stone lions. Further south is a five-arched stone bridge. There are side gates on both sides of the mountain gate, connected by walls. Stele pavilion. To the north of the mountain gate is the stele pavilion. Inside the pavilion are three stone steles. In the middle is the ‘Stele Inscription of the Potala Palace-style Temple’, which records the background and construction process of the temple. To the east is the ‘Record of the Total Submission of the Torghut’, and to the west is the ‘Record of Favoring and Relieving the Torghut People’. The inscriptions are engraved in four languages: Manchu, Han, Mongolian, and Tibetan. The Chinese text was personally written by Emperor Qianlong. Five Pagoda Gate. To the north of the stele pavilion is the Five Pagoda Gate, a Tibetan-style three-gate white platform. There are three rows of red blind windows painted on the white wall. Above the white platform are arranged small pagodas in five colors: red, green, yellow, white, and black, representing the five sects of Tibetan Buddhism. There are three Five Pagoda Gates in the entire temple. One Five Pagoda Gate is on the central axis near the entrance, and the other two Five Pagoda Gates are located on the left and right sides of the central axis near the Grand Red Terrace. In front of the Five Pagoda Gate are a pair of stone elephants, which are symbols of the Mahayana sect. Glazed archway. To the north of the Five Pagoda Gate is the glazed archway, a Qing-style archway with three bays, four columns, seven floors, and three-volume red, yellow, and green glazed arches. On the central plaque on the middle floor are the words ‘Universal Gate Manifesting’ personally inscribed by Emperor Qianlong, meaning the gate where Guanyin appears to save all living beings. On the back plaque are the words ‘Lotus Realm Solemnity’, meaning the Buddhist realm of Guanyin. Each plaque is inlaid with a yellow glazed pattern of two dragons playing with a pearl, showing the architectural specifications of the imperial palace. Grand Red Terrace. The Grand Red Terrace is the tall main building of the Potala Palace-style Temple, six stories high, divided into upper and lower parts. The lower part is the base, called the Great White Terrace, which is entirely built with large granite stones.The interior is composed of forty pavilions surrounding the central Wanfa Guiyi Hall, forming a circular layout with corridors on each level of the pavilions. From the mountainous area of the Chengde Mountain Resort, one can see a grand red rectangular building towering among the mountains, known as the Dahong Tai, which is also an excellent location for photographing the temple as a whole. It is said that on clear days, one can see clouds emerging from the hall. The front of the Dahong Tai is arranged with six rows of Tibetan-style windows, with six glazed Buddha niches embedded in the middle row, each enshrining an image of the Buddha of Infinite Life. Surrounding the Red Platform is the White Platform, creating a striking color contrast.
Wanfa Guiyi Hall, the main hall of Pǔtuó Zōngchéngzhī Miào, is hidden within the Dahong Tai pavilions, with its roof towering above the surrounding buildings and gleaming with gold. The bottom is surrounded by three layers of pavilions, creating a dark shadow and a stark contrast in lighting, which contributes to the solemn and sacred atmosphere of the religious architecture, a treasure of mainland religious construction. The most striking feature here is the golden roof, which can be viewed at eye level from the third floor of the surrounding buildings. Currently, this place serves as the venue for gatherings and celebrations within the entire temple, and a Buddhist degree examination is held in the hall every July 11th. Cíháng Pǔdù Pavilion, the top building of Pǔtuó Zōngchéngzhī Miào, is located at the northwest corner of the rooftop platform of the Dahong Lou pavilions. It is a double-eaved hexagonal pavilion with a copper-gilded fish-scale glazed tile roof. Opening hours: 04/01-04/30 08:00-17:30; 05/01-10/09 08:00-18:00; 10/10-03/31 08:30-17:00. Preferential policies: Children under 6 years old (inclusive) or under 1.2 meters in height (inclusive) must be accompanied by a guardian and enter the scenic area for free. Minors aged 6 (exclusive) to 18 (inclusive) with a valid second-generation ID card or student ID enjoy half-price admission. Full-time undergraduate and below students with a student ID enjoy half-price admission. Elderly aged 70 (inclusive) and above with a valid second-generation ID card, passport, or Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan travel permit enter for free. Elderly aged 60 (inclusive) to 69 (inclusive) with a valid second-generation ID card enjoy half-price admission. Retired cadres with a retirement certificate enter for free. Active-duty military personnel (armed police) with an officer’s certificate, civilian cadre certificate, non-commissioned officer certificate, conscript certificate, student certificate, or retired (retired) military certificate enter for free. National comprehensive fire and rescue team retired (retired), national comprehensive fire and rescue team cadres, national comprehensive fire and rescue team disabled personnel, national comprehensive fire and rescue team firefighters, and national comprehensive fire and rescue team students with valid certificates enter for free. Disabled people with a disability certificate issued by the China Disabled Persons’ Federation and a valid second-generation ID card, first and second-degree severe physical, visual, intellectual, and mental disabilities are allowed one accompanying person to enter the park for free. Disabled military personnel, disabled civil servants, disabled public security police officers, Hebei Province veterans, martyrs’ relatives, martyrs’ relatives of soldiers who died in the line of duty, and relatives of soldiers who died of illness with valid certificates enter for free. Hebei Province’s Yan Zhao Yingcai with Hebei Province’s Yan Zhao Yingcai Service A and B cards (A card valid in Hebei Province, B card valid in Chengde City) enter for free. Medical and nursing staff can enjoy free admission to the scenic area on International Nurses’ Day (May 12th) and Chinese Doctor’s Day (August 19th) with a doctor or nurse practice qualification certificate, award certificate, or title certificate.Free admission for journalists: With the press card issued by the National Press and Publication Administration. Free admission for tour guides leading groups: With the tour guide certificate issued by the National Tourism Administration and the tour group task list. Free admission for blood donors in Hebei Province: With the honor card for blood donation in Hebei Province. Free admission for labor models, outstanding experts and top-notch talents at or above the municipal level in Chengde City: With valid certificates issued by the State Council, provincial and municipal people’s governments. Free admission for tourism law enforcement officers, price law enforcement officers and law enforcement officers of the State Security Bureau: With law enforcement certificates (requiring more than two people and holding law enforcement notices).
