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At one time there were 1,500 monks at the temple, now there are only 70. Although of the same Yellow Hat sect as the Dalai Lama the monks are required to reject Tibetan independence.

The temple’s Drum and Bell towers are in the first courtyard after passing through the main entrance. The huge bell has been removed from its tower and placed on the ground.

The first hall has a plump laughing Buddha, Milefo, back-to-back with Wei Tuo, the Guardian of Buddhist Doctrine. They are flanked by the Four Heavenly Kings.

This, the second hall, contains three manifestations of Buddha. These represent the past, present, and future, and are flanked by 18 luohan – those freed from the cycle of rebirth.

The third hall contains Buddhas of longevity and medicine. It also has two famous tangkas, said to have been embroidered by Emperor Qianlong’s mother. Behind the hall is a bronze sculpture of Mount Meru, the center of the Buddhist universe.

Hall four has a 20-foot (6-m) high statue of Tsongkhapa, the 14th-century founder of the Yellow Hat sect of Buddhism. Dominant in Tibetan politics for centuries, the sect is led by the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama.

The final pavilion houses an 80-foot (25-m) high Buddha carved from a single piece of sandalwood. There’s a splendid collection of Tibetan Buddhist objects in a room behind the hall.

Spinning a prayer wheel sends a prayer written on coiled paper to heaven. A little yellow arrow taped to the frame of the wheel reminds worshipers which direction (clock-wise) to spin the wheel.

There are incense burners in front of all the many altars throughout the temple. Shops lining the entryway to the complex and in the neighboring streets are piled with bundles of incense sticks for sale for use at the temple.

A large imperial lion is a reminder that the complex was originally the residence of the man who would become Qing emperor Yongzheng. On ascending the throne in 1722, and in keeping with tradition, his former home became a temple.