Fuyou Temple

　　Fuyou Temple is located on the east side of the northern entrance of Beichang Street.

　　It was built during the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty as a smallpox isolation site for Emperor Kangxi (XuanYe, the Shengzu of Qing). In the first year of the Yongzheng reign (1723), it was planned to be allocated to Prince Bao (the title given to Hongli, the future Emperor Qianlong, when he was a prince) as his residence, but Hongli did not move in. After ascending the throne, he converted it into a temple named Fuyou Temple.

　　The outer wall gate faces west. Along the central axis from south to north are: a screen wall (18.5 meters long), two wooden memorial archways, a three-bay mountain gate with carved dragon imperial pathways in front and back, and eight-character screen walls on both sides. There are also bell and drum towers, and a three-bay Hall of Heavenly Kings. Each side has a three-bay side hall. The Mahavira Hall has five bays with a front terrace and a carved cloud-patterned imperial pathway. The rear hall has five bays and enshrines a memorial tablet of "Great Achievements and Merits Buddha of the Sagely Ancestor Emperor." In the 16th year of the Republic of China (1927), it was converted into the office of the Panchen Lama in Beiping. After 1980, it served as the office of the Panchen Lama in Beijing.

　　Fuyou Temple is a municipal-level cultural heritage protection unit in Beijing, located on Beichang Street in Xicheng District. It was built during the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty as a smallpox isolation site for Emperor Kangxi. In the first year of the Yongzheng reign (1723), it was planned to be given to Prince Bao (Emperor Qianlong, Hongli) as his private residence. Hongli did not move in, and after becoming emperor, he converted it into a temple named Fuyou Temple. The temple has undergone several renovations over the generations. It faces south with the outer wall gate facing west. There are bell and drum towers, a three-bay Hall of Heavenly Kings, and three-bay side halls on each side. The Mahavira Hall has five bays with a front terrace and a carved cloud-patterned imperial pathway. The rear hall has five bays and enshrines a memorial tablet of "Great Achievements and Merits Buddha of the Sagely Ancestor Emperor."

　　The entire temple complex consists of three sections. The first section includes the mountain gate, bell and drum towers, and the Hall of Heavenly Kings. The mountain gate has three bays with yellow glazed tile hip-and-gable roofs. In front of and behind the gate are carved dragon imperial pathways, with eight-character screen walls on both sides. A massive glazed screen wall over 18 meters long stands directly south of the gate. Two wooden memorial archways stand on the east and west sides of the gate. The main building, the Hall of Heavenly Kings, features yellow glazed tile hip-and-gable roofs. On its east and west sides are bell and drum towers with double-eave yellow glazed tile hip-and-gable roofs. The second section’s main hall is the Mahavira Hall, the central structure of the temple, with five bays and a yellow glazed tile hip-and-gable roof, with a copper tower on a lotus base atop the main ridge. The third section is the rear hall, with five bays and a hip-and-gable roof. Inside the hall is enshrined a memorial tablet of the "Great Achievements and Merits Stele of the Sagely Ancestor Emperor." The Mahavira Hall has five bays with a front terrace and a carved cloud-patterned imperial pathway. The rear hall has five bays and enshrines a memorial tablet of the "Great Achievements and Merits Buddha of the Sagely Ancestor Emperor." Both sides of the main hall have side halls and auxiliary rooms.

　　Fuyou Temple

　　In 1919, Mao Zedong and his delegation from Hunan, which had come to Beijing to oppose warlord Zhang Jingyao, stayed here temporarily. In 1927, it was converted into the office of the Panchen Lama in Beiping. After 1949, it served as the Panchen Lama’s office in Beijing. In 1984, the China Nationalities Museum was established here, collecting documents, films, and cultural relics related to ethnic cultures. In the same year, it was designated as a protected area with defined boundaries and construction control zones. The protected area includes the office space used by the Panchen Lama’s Beijing office, extending east to Zhongzi River, south and north to the temple walls, and west to the planned red line.

　　As a royal temple, it has never received worshippers or patrons since ancient times, and all halls are usually locked. The entire architectural complex is divided into three courtyards from south to north, facing south with the main gate to the west. From south to north are: two wooden memorial archways inscribed respectively with “Eternal Virtue” and “Compassion for All Beings.” To the left and right inside the gate are the bell and drum towers. The three-bay mountain gate is flanked by large stone lions, with carved dragon imperial pathways in front and back, and eight-character screen walls on both sides. There are also side gates on each side. The Hall of Heavenly Kings is the second hall, followed by the Mahavira Hall, which is majestic and solemn. The main halls along the central axis have front and back doors, allowing passage from front to back, symbolizing that all things will go smoothly. Inside the Mahavira Hall is an eight-sided pavilion with double eaves, hanging a hada presented by the 10th Panchen Lama on its roof. At the center of the pavilion is a pure gold statue of Manjushri, with a crown adorned with large colorful gems. Legend says Emperor Qianlong once dreamed he was the incarnation of Manjushri, so he enshrined Manjushri in a standalone pavilion, hence the name “Manjushri Pavilion.” This is unique among temples in Beijing and even across China. To its right is Sakyamuni Buddha, and on the east and west sides are golden statues of the Eighteen Arhats, exquisitely crafted, grand, and radiating extraordinary royal majesty. The Hall of Heavenly Kings houses four colossal statues of Heavenly Kings, each holding: a scaleless, clawless dragon; a boneless, coverless umbrella; a stringless lute; and a sheathless sword. The paintings of the statues are extremely detailed, with every hair and beard visible. These unique and imposing Heavenly King statues are unmatched, and no one dares to touch them. Their material remains unknown after hundreds of years of perfect preservation.