It's an age-old birthday conundrum: What do you give a Son of Heaven who already has everything? If your answer is an enormous scale model of Lhasa's Potala Palace, then you would have been a great Qing Dynasty courtier.

Chengde's Putuo Zongcheng Miao (Temple of Potaraka Doctrine), dedicated to Emperor Qianlong on his birthday in 1771, is an astonishing copy of the traditional seat of Tibetan power. Like Puning Si (Temple of Universal Peace), Pule Si (Temple of Universal Happiness) and other Chengde edifices, it served as a symbol of the unifying power of the Qing Empire over a diversity of peoples and cultures. It is also reflective of the long-standing Chinese fascination with Tibetan Buddhism and Lamaism, which had a profound effect on China's own cultural development. During the heyday of the Qing, the temple hosted many visiting dignitaries from the empires borderlands, including Mongolia and Tibet; even today, it's not hard to imagine the sense of awe that such visitors may have felt.

Covering an area of 220,000 square meters, Putuo Zongcheng is the largest of Chengde's eight temples outside of Bishu Shanzhuang (the Imperial Summer Villa). Most of the complex's 60 or so halls are Tibetan in style, with white walls and flat roofs. Han Chinese elements are present, too, however, creating a unique stylistic fusion. Today, the temple houses numerous exhibits of artefacts, from statues and furnishings to pottery and ceramics and Tibetan religious items.