The Puning Temple (Chinese: ???; pinyin: Pun韓g S? literally: 'Temple of Universal Peace' and commonly called the Big Buddha Temple) is a Qing dynasty era Buddhist temple complex built in 1755; during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735-1796 CE) to show the Qing's respect for Tibetan Buddhism.

In 1703; Chengde was chosen by the Kangxi Emperor as the location for his summer residence. Constructed throughout the eighteenth century; the Mountain Resort was used by both the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors. The site is currently an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since the seat of government followed the emperor; Chengde was a political center of the Chinese empire during these times.

Chengde; formerly known as Jehol; reached its height under the Qianlong Emperor 1735-1796 (died 1799). The great monastery temple of the Potala; loosely based on the famous Potala in Lhasa; was completed after just four years of work in 1771. It was heavily decorated with gold and the emperor worshipped in the Golden Pavilion. In the temple itself was a bronze-gilt statue of Tsongkhapa; the Reformer of the Gelugpa sect. Pictures From Asia David Henley