- Location: Chengde Mountain Resort, Chengde City, Hebei Province

Located on the hillock north of the Chengde Mountain Resort in Hebei Province, the Puning Temple (Temple of Universal Peace) (普寧寺) is one of the eight outlying temples of the resort. These temples, along with the resort, were included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List in 1994.

The temple, also known as Big Buddha Temple, was built in 1755 during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1735-1796) of the Qing Dynasty to celebrate his putting down the Dzungar rebellion in northwestern China. It was built in imitation of the great Samye Monastery, the sacred Lamaist site in Tibet, but the front part mainly follows the style of the traditional Chinese temples.

The temple consists of the following buildings: bell and drum towers, temple halls and pavilions. The top attraction is the main hall named the Grand Hall (Daxiong Baodian), which houses the giant 27.21-meter wooden sculpture of the Bodhisattva Avalokite?vara. The sculpture, featuring one thousand eyes and one thousand arms in various sizes, has been included in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Travel Tips:

1. You can find many hotels nearby, such as Chengde Bifeng Hotel, Chengde Zhaolong Hotel, and Chengde Mountain Villa Hotel.

2. Try the local snacks such as sumai and the fermented milk curd (milk tofu).

3. Tourist souvenirs with local features include root carvings, walnut shell handicrafts and Teng's cloth-pasted pictures.

- Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m (Apr.1-Oct. 31); 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (Nov. 1- Mar.31)

- Admission: 80 yuan (Apr. 1-Oct. 31); 60 yuan (Nov. 1- Mar.31), covering entrance to Puning Temple and Puyou Temple.

- Tel: 86-314- 2029771

- How to get there: Take Bus 6, 26 to Puning Temple, or Bus 15 to Dafo Si.

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