Little Potala Palace (Putuo Zongcheng Temple) is located to the north of Mountain Resort of Chengde.It is the biggest and the most magnificent building in Eight Outer Temples.
The name of Little Potala Palace
Built in 1767 imitating the style of the Potala Palace, the temple is named "Little Potala Palace".For another reason that "Putuo Zongchengzhi"is a Tibetan language meaning "Potala Palace" in Chinese.
The Platform principle of Little Potala Palace
The halls and pavilions in Little Potala Palace were designed to naturally strew on hillside according to the hypsography. The Big Red Platform is the principle construction of the temple. The platform and the three halls on it are all with the copper gold tiles roof.
Great artistic value of Little Potala Palace
The Little Potala Palace has great artistic value.A crystallization of the style and characteristics of ancient Tibetan architecture,the temple is made up of 50 Buddhist halls, scripture-reciting halls,monks' living quarters, terraces and glazed ceremonial arches which rise and fall with the mountain slopes.
Little Potala Palace as a great symbol
The temple, dedicated to Emperor Qianlong on his birthday in 1771, is an astonishing copy of the traditional seat of Tibetan power.It served as a symbol of the unifying power of the Qing Empire over a diversity of peoples and cultures.
It is also reflective of the long-standing Chinese fascination with Tibetan Buddhism and Lamaism, which had a profound effect on China's own cultural development. During the heyday of the Qing, the temple hosted many visiting dignitaries from the empires borderlands,including Mongolia and Tibet; even today, it's not hard to imagine the sense of awe that such visitors may have felt.
The history of Little Potala Palace
The Putuo Zongcheng Temple was originally dedicated to Qianlong in order to commemorate his birthday,as well as provide Hebei with a temple of equal size and splendor as the Tibetan Potala Palace.The Putuo Zongcheng temple served more functions than just Buddhist ceremony and festival,however.It was also the location that the emperor would gather meetings of different ethnic envoys found throughout the empire. The location served as a peaceful getaway in contrast to the bustling life of the capital Beijing,as well as complimented the nearby hunting grounds that the emperor would enjoy with his hosts.
As of 1994,the Chengde Mountain Resort and Chengde's Eight Outer Temples (including the Putuo Zongcheng Temple) were established as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.Today,the temple remains a site of tourism and local festivities.
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