Pule Temple, Buddhist temple in Chengde, China

Pule Temple is a large complex in Chengde combining traditional Chinese buildings in the front with Tibetan architectural style in the rear. The back section features a notable round pavilion decorated with mandala patterns that reflect Buddhist spiritual symbolism.

Emperor Qianlong ordered the temple built in 1766 to welcome envoys from western ethnic minority regions into Chengde. This construction reflected the era when the city served as a diplomatic meeting place for relations with distant territories.

The name Pule comes from Fan Zhongyan's essay "Memorial to Yueyang Tower": "be anxious before the world's worries, rejoice after the world's joys." Qianlong chose it to mean joy shared by all. The temple had no resident monks; it was run by the Imperial Household Department, and monks from other temples came to chant on the first and fifteenth of the first lunar month.

The temple sits in a quiet area of the city and is straightforward to navigate, with clear pathways throughout all sections of the complex. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes since there are steps and uneven surfaces, especially along the route to the raised pavilions.

The rear hall is a reduced copy of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at Beijing's Temple of Heaven, as noted in German sources. Inside, a wooden mandala of 37 pieces surrounds a bronze Samvara statue facing east, aligned with the Six Harmonies Pagoda and Panshui Peak.