"Little Potala Palace" ~ Puning Temple

Puning Temple, also known as the "Little Potala Palace," is a Buddhist temple built by the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty to celebrate his 60th birthday and the 80th birthday of Empress Dowager Chongqing. The temple was constructed in imitation of the Potala Palace in Tibet. Puning Temple is built against the mountain, facing south with its back to the north. Inside the mountain gate is the Stele Pavilion, and further north is the Five Pagoda Gate, which is over ten meters high and has three archways. On top of the gate are five lama pagodas in red, yellow, black, white, and green, also known as Brahma Pagodas. North of the gate is the Glazed Archway. The terrain gradually rises to the north of the archway, with various white platforms and pagoda platforms scattered according to the terrain, differing in height and varying in form. The final structure is the majestic and towering main building, the Great Red Platform."