Question

Try to hold on to those spiritual feelings, as we're about to visit a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, one of the grandest in the world. The halls of Yonghegong, informally known as the Lama Temple, are home to nearly a hundred monks of the Yellow Hat sect. This magnificent complex was not always a religious one, however. Before 1722, how were these buildings used:

A. As a palace -- first for court eunuchs, then for the Crown Prince
B. As a military fort
C. As a palace -- first for the Empress Dowager, then for court concubines
D. As a university, with a focus on religion and fine art

Answer 1

A. As a palace -- first for court eunuchs, then for the Crown Prince

Step-by-step explanation:

The Tibetan Buddhist monastery is a Chinese temple also known as the Yonghe temple (which means , "the temple of peace and harmony" in English) or as it is popularly called, the Lama Temple ( from the name Yonghe Lamasery, another alias). It is located in the modern day Beijing, China.

Its building was started during the Qing dynasty (1644 to 1911) of the Chinese empire, in 1694. Prior to that, the site where the building presently stands was the official home to the court Eunuchs of the preceding dynasty, The Ming dynasty (1368 to 1644). After which it was converted to the home of the fourth son of the Kangxi Emperor, Prince Yong (Yinzhen), who happened to be the heir to the throne (the Yongzhen Emperor).

After Yinzhen ascended the throne as emperor, half of the building was converted into the Tibetan Buddhism Monastery (a Lamasery) with the other half remaining a palace. It remained so until Yinzhen died in 1735. His remains was laid to rest in the temple, prompting the succeeding Emperor, the Qianlong Emperor to give the temple an Imperial status, hence the yellow tiles that replaced the turquoise tiles. This made the Yonghe temple the National Center of the Lama administration, the home to so many monks of Tibetan Buddhism from Mongolia and Tibet.