Putuozongcheng Temple / Small Potala Palace

Putuozongcheng Temple has been chosen by many travelers as the alternate of the Polata Palace in Tibet owing to the exact resemblance between the two.

The entire temple covers 220,000 square meters, It was built by Qing emperor Qianlong to celebrate his 60th birth date, and his mother’s 80th birth date and to host the upper strata personages of the minority peoples from Mongolia, Qinghai, and Xinjiang who came to join in his birthday celebrations.

The temple has a special 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, red terraces, white terraces topped with one or five pagodas and glazed ceremonial arches which rise and fall with the mountain slopes in a variable rectangular disposition. The red terrace is 42.5 meters high and 59.7 meters in width. It is the main structure within the temple. 

The most conspicuous characteristics of this temple rely on its Tibetan style. Within the temple, about sixty flat-roof-house-like white platforms and Sanskrit white platforms lays freely beyond the axes to confront the mountainous terrain.

The main buildings big red square-shaped platform at the top of the mountain is very attractive in contrast with the surrounding white attics. This platform was used by the emperors to hold great religious rituals and meet the tribal chiefs from important ethnic groups as well as high officials.

Putuozongcheng Temple layout can be divided into three parts. The front part comprised of the entrance, tablet pavilion and Wuta Gate. The middle section comprised of colored glaze memorial arch, White Tower, monk rooms and so on.

The rear is the main construction of big red tower and some other periphery constructions. There are altogether 60 locations scattered around.