Bishu Shanzhuang Imperial Palace - Eight Outer Temples

(Local Name: Waiba Miao) To the north and east of the Bishu Shanzhuang Imperial Palace, several magnificent temples were built between 1713 and 1780 to accommodate Mongol and Tibetan emissaries. Eight of the original twelve temples used to be under the control of a Beijing authority that was responsible for relations with non-Chinese peoples who lived in the Manchu Empire. The temples are known as "outer" temples because of their situation outside the capital. Seven of the religious sites are preserved more or less intact.