Constructed in the reign of Emperor Qianlong(1736-1795), the Sea of Wisdom Temple was an arch-shaped structure built with bricks and stones without the support of a single beam or pillar. It therefore came to be known as the "Beamless Hall". The hall’s roof and murals were finished with colored glaze and decorated with 1,110 statuettes of the Infinite Longevity Buddha. These and the statue of Buddha inside the temple are all cultural relics from the reign of Emperor Qianlong. The glazed statuettes of Buddha were savagely destroyed in 1900 by the Allied Forces of the Eight Powers. The characters inscribed on both sides of the decorated stone archway form the text of a Buddhist hymn which says: “The Realm of Popular Fragrance, the forests of god; the seas of wisdom and the auspicious clouds.”