Putuo Zongcheng Temple, located in the north of Chengde Mountain Resort, Chengde City, Hebei Province, is the largest of the Eight Outer Temples of Chengde. Its main buildings were modeled after the Potala Palace in Xizang, so it is also known as the Lesser Potala Palace.

Putuo Zongcheng is more of a castle than a temple. The buildings take advantage of the sloping topography and were layer by layer. The result is grand and magnificent. The whole temple is divided into two parts. The front part includes the gate, the Stele Pavilion, the Five Pagodas Gate, and more than 30 flat-top blockhouse-style white terraces. These typical Xizang-style buildings are well arranged on the mountain slope and form an integral whole when seen from a distance. The rear part is the temple’s main building is the Great Red Terrace which sits spectacularly at the top of the mountain. The Hall of Wanfaguiyi (Ten Thousand Dharmas Return as One) inside the Great Red Terrace is the temple’s main hall. The hall has a gorgeously gilded rooftop, making it known to the tourists at home and abroad as the Golden Hall.