Lama temple
Also known as Yonghe Temple or Harmony and Peace Palace Lamasery, is located at the northeast corner of Beijing City. Built initially in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty, this building was lately formally changed as the national centre of Lama administration.
You can take a couple of hours to visit the temple and watching the monks praying in all the different buildings. There is also a small Buddhist museum that is worthy visiting.
How to get there
- Take the subway line 2 or line 5 to Yonghegong station, and take exit C
- From the exit C, turn left and walk along a red wall (it’s actually the Lama Temple wall). At the end of the wall you’ll find the entrance to Lama Temple on your left hand.
Entrance fee:
- TMB 25 per person
- Opening Hours: 09:00 – 16:30 ( April – October) and 09:00 – 16:00 (November – March)
Confucius temple
I will not instruct my students until they have really tried hard but failed to understand
A couple of blocks away of the Lama Temple is the Confucius temple, a building constructed to paid homage to Confucius (551 B.C. to 479 B.C.), the Chinese philosopher, teacher and political figure whose teachings deeply influenced East Asian life and thought.
You can visit the temple in 2 hours. Dacheng Hall is the main building in the temple, where the memorial ceremony for the sage was usually held. Inside the temple you could see the 198 stone tablets containing 51,624 names of “Jinshi” (the advanced scholars) of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Also 14 stone stele pavilions of the Ming and Qing dynasties hold the precious historical information of ancient China.
How to get there:
- Take the subway line 2 or line 5 to Yonghegong station, and take exit G
- Walk south along Yonghegong Street until the cross with Guozijian Street. Then walk west along Guozijian Street untiol reach the entrance of the temple.
Entrance fee:
- TMB 30 per person
- Opening Hours: 08:30 – 18:00 (May – October) and 08:30 – 17:00 (November – April)
- Recommended visit time: 1 hour
