Maitreya Buddha's statue engraved on sandalwood in Lama Temple, Beijing [Photo provided by the Nepal Embassy in Beijing]

Lama Temple (Yonghe Gong), a revered Buddhist site, is famous for its wooden statue carved in a single giant wooden trunk brought from Nepal some 300 years ago. This is the world's tallest wooden statue of Maitreya Buddha recorded in the Guinness book.

The Lama Temple in Beijing, or "Yonghegong" in Chinese, is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Beijing, whose name literally means "the palace of peace and harmony". In 2008, it was announced as one of the "China's Top Ten Buddhism Cultural Attractions" along with the Potala Palace in Tibet and the Kumbum Monastery in Qinghai Province by the State Administration for Religious Affairs of China.

As a famous tourist destination and also the biggest Tibetan Buddist temple of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism (or the Yellow School) in Beijing, it was the former residence of Emperor Yongzheng (1678-1735) before he took the throne, who was the 5th emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The temple's building complex combines the architectural styles of Han, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan peoples. Rosewood Arhat sculptures, giant white sandlewood Buddha and Buddha niche carved with silkwood are three must-sees at the temple.

Bus routes: 13, 62, 44, 406 at Yonghegong station; or take the subway Line 4 and Line 5 to arrive at Yonghegong.