Puning Temple, commonly known as the Big Buddha Temple, is located in Chengde City, Hebei Province. It is a Gelug sect Tibetan Buddhist temple and one of the “Eight Outer Temples.” Currently, Puning Temple serves as a place for religious activities.
Puning Temple is located on the banks of the Wulie River, northeast of the Mountain Resort in Chengde. It is also known as the “Big Buddha Temple” because it houses a large gold-lacquered wooden Buddha statue. The temple was constructed in the 20th year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign during the Qing Dynasty (1755) and completed in the 24th year (1759). After the Qing court quelled the rebellion of Dawachi, a taiji of the Oirat Mongol Dzungar tribe, Emperor Qianlong conferred titles upon the nobles of the four Oirat tribes at the Mountain Resort. He built Puning Temple in the architectural style of Tibet’s Sangye Monastery (Samye Monastery) as a gesture of goodwill. This act mirrored Emperor Kangxi’s construction of Huizong Temple in Duolun after resolving the Khalkha Mongol issue. The name “Puning Temple” signifies the hope for the borderland ethnic groups to “settle peacefully, enjoy their work, and achieve everlasting peace.”
Puning Temple is built on a hillside, facing south while seated north, covering an area of 33,000 square meters with 29 main structures. Its architectural style is unique, assimilating and merging the architectural layouts of Han Chinese Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism temples. Divided into two parts by the Mahavira Hall, the front section features a “Seven-Hall” layout typical of Han Chinese Buddhist temples. Along the central axis are the Mountain Gate, Stele Pavilion, Hall of Heavenly Kings, and Mahavira Hall, with the bell and drum towers and side halls flanking them. The rear section comprises Tibetan Buddhist-style temple architecture, modeled after Tibet’s Sangye Monastery, featuring a Tibetan-style mandala. The layout is traversed by a central north-south axis.
When the Sixth Panchen Lama traveled from Tibet to Rehe (present-day Chengde) to celebrate Emperor Qianlong’s birthday, he first visited Puning Temple to pay homage to the Buddha before proceeding to the Mountain Resort to meet the emperor. The Qing Dynasty’s Inner and Outer Mongolian Buddhist leaders, such as the Janggi Lama and the Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, would always visit Puning Temple to preach to the lamas after meeting the emperor at the Mountain Resort. The temple also hosted religious assemblies, organized debates on Buddhist teachings, and performed Cham dances. Over time, Puning Temple gradually became a center for Tibetan Buddhism beyond the Great Wall during the Qing Dynasty.
In 1961, Puning Temple was designated as one of China’s first batch of key cultural relic protection units. In 1994, “The Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde,” including Puning Temple, was approved as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. In 1999, the large gold-lacquered wooden Buddha housed within the temple was listed in the Guinness World Records. In June 1985, Puning Temple resumed religious activities with the approval of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, becoming the only temple in Chengde City with resident monks. It was also designated as a National Key Buddhist Temple in Han Chinese Areas. After resuming religious activities, the temple invited dozens of lamas from Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, and other regions, and appointed Hamur Rinpoche, whose reincarnation was recognized by the Ninth Panchen Lama, as the first abbot after the resumption of religious activities. The temple established a religious affairs committee and conducts daily Buddhist rituals, hosting one to two large-scale Dharma assemblies annually.
