Yonghegong 雍和宫is located inside Andingmen in the northeastern part of Beijing. Built in 1694, the 33rd year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi, it was at first the mansion of Yinzhen, the emperor's fourth son, who later succeeded to the throne and became Emperor Yongzheng. In 1725, the third year of Emperor Yongzheng, the mansion became the emperor's secondary palace and was renamed the Palace of Harmony and Peace. In 1744, the ninth year of Emperor Qianlong's reign, the palace was converted into a lamaist temple, which also served as the administrative centre of Buddhist affairs of the Qing government.

The grounds of Yonghegong measure nearly 400 metres from north to south and 50-80 metres from east to west. There are altogether 1134 rooms in the temple buildings, totalling 23131.8 square metres in floor space. The principal structures in Yonghegong include three monumental arches, the Gate of Harmony and Peace (Yonghemen), Hall of Harmony and Peace (Yonghedian), Hall of Eternal Blessings (Yongyoudian), Hall of the Wheel of Dharma (Falundian) and Hall of Infinite Happiness (Wanfuge), which stand in five courtyards, one behind another. There are also the auxiliary side halls, the four halls of learning (Scripture-Lecturing Hall, Esoteric Hall, Mathematics Hall and Bhaisajya Hall), the Initiation Terrace and Panchen's Tower. The courtyards are progressively reduced in size from the south to the north while the buildings rise progressively higher, giving people an enigmatic impression, the impression of a place "where dragons and phoenixes gather." Since the predecessor of Yonghegong was the mansion of a prince and the emperor's secondary palace, the structures bear the architectural characteristics of palace structures and Tibetan temple buildings. This is most prominent in the Hall of the Wheel of the Dharma and the Hall of Infinite Happiness. The Hall of the Wheel of the Dharma is the great central hall where the lamas gather to perform Buddhist rituals. The Hail of Infinite Happiness enshrines the Great Buddha Maitreya .All of the names of the Yonghegong buildings and inscriptions on the stone stelae in the lamasery are in four languages: Han, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan. This not only is in harmony with the architectural style, but also shows how much thought Emperor Qianlong had given to maintaining the unity and unification of the multi-national country.

Preserved in Yonghegong is a rich collection of cultural relics, particularly those related to Tibetan Buddhism. In addition to the large number of vividly sculptured Buddhist statues, each different in posture and expression, there are also a large collection of Tibetan-style paintings known as Tangka paintings, murals, scriptures and religious instruments and vessels. The inscriptions on the stelae and boards, the paintings and calligraphic works, decorations and ornaments in the lamasery are also of very high cultural and historical value.