The Yonghegong Lamasery is located in the northeast of Beijing and covers a space of 660,000 square metres. It is the most renowned Tibetan Buddhist temple in China outside Tibet and it is the only building that combines the architectural features of the Han, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan cultures in Beijing.

It is the largest Buddhist temple of the Yellow-sect in Beijing and has been well preserved. Built in 1694 it was the residence of Count Yin Zhen, the fourth son of the Emperor Kangxi. After Yin Zhen became the Emperor, he continued to use it as an imperial palace for short stays away from the capital. Later, he designated part of the palace to be the seat of the Mongolian incarnate lama, Changjia Hutukhutu, and the Palace become a Yellow sect temple.

The Yellow sect is a branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The followers of the sect all dress in Yellow, hence the name. The monastery is famed for three treasures.

The first is the "Five-hundred arhats mountain" wood carving behind the Falun Hall. The so-called mountain is 4meters tall and 3 meters long. There are trees, pagodas, pavilions, caves, and bridges in the carving and the five hundred arhats are vivid and each one unique. Unfortunately there are only 449 arhats left after many wars.

The second is the huge white statue of Maitreya in the Hall of Boundless Happiness. The statue is 26 meters high and 100 tons in weight, carved out of a whole piece of sandalwood. It is the biggest wooden Buddha in the world. Eight meters of the carving is buried under the ground. Although it is over 200 years old, it is still perfectly intact.

The third is the Buddhist Shrine in the Zhaofo Tower carved from nanmu. The shrine is supported by two pillars, each with 99 dragons carved on them. The Buddha statue on the shrine is made from bronze.  During sunset, the fading sunshine reflects off the bronze mirror behind the statue's head, and the Hall is all lit in gold.

The buildings of the Yonghegong Lamasery each has its own features. The Falun Hall is a combination of both Han and Tibentan architectural styles. It is laid out like a cross, with five gilded pagodas on the roof, similar to Tibetan style. The inscriptions on the stone tablets inside the Hall are in Chinese, Manchurian, Mongolian and Tibetan, explaining the origin of Lamaism and the Manchu government's policy toward the religion.

Now the Yonghegong Lamasery is not only a Buddhist site but also a treasure house of the Chinese, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan cultures.