Pule Temple

Lies on the hillside, two kilometers to the east of the Wulie River in Chengde City. To the east of the Summer Villa, and south of the Temple for Distant Security, the Pule Temple (The Temple of Universal Joy), also known as the Round Pavilion, is the resorts most modern looking complex.

Pule Temple was built in January in 1766. Legends say that in the last autumn, when Emperor Qianlong went hunting in the Mountain Summer Resort area, he saw a flat ground from there he can see the beautiful scenery of Qinghui Peak in the east. He decided to build a temple on this ground.

When the temple was completed, many tribes from the western region such as Menggu, Hasake, and Bulute ordered envoys to affiliate with imperial court, they came to meet with Emperor Qianlong and looked at this temple with reverence. With this newly completed temple and all the envoys there the same time, makes Emperor Qianlong very happy. At once, he named this temple the "Temple of Universal Joy" and it means universal joy.

Pule Temple covers an area of 24,000 square meters, and the layout is rectangle and it is divided into two parts front and back. From the front entrance, there is the bell and drum tower, Tianwang palace, and Zongyin palace.

The temple is made up of four parts including the Front Hall, the Side Halls on the right and left, and the massacre city, housing Buddha of Infinite Longevity and King Kong Buddha are sacrificed in side halls. In the back there is a 35.5 meter high altar, divided into 3 layers. The 1st and 2nd floor are square stone platforms. The 1st floor has 3 rooms and surrounded by 72 hallways. In the 2nd floor has 8 Lama Towers in four corners and four directions. The towers in the corners are black, while the towers in four directions are black, blue, purple, and white. The Xuguang Pavilion in the middle of the 3rd layer is 23 meters high with a diameter of 21.68 meters. The multi-eaved roof is covered with glazed tiles, similar with that of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest in the Heaven Temple, Beijing.

The Pule Temple houses many Buddha statues, including many Exoteric and Esoteric Buddha statues. In addition to the exquisite Buddha statutes, the large number of glazed ornaments and colorful decorations on the structures are important factors that make the whole Pule Temple magnificent and attractive.