The Jade Buddha
Inside Jade Buddha Temple
The Hall of Sakyamun
Tourists at Jade Buddha Temple
Located on Anyuan Road, the Jade Buddha Temple is a world-famous Buddhist temple. As one of the top ten tourist attractions in Shanghai, it is a tranquil island in this bustling city.
The temple has a history of over 120 years, dating back to 1882 when Master Huigen, the first abbot of the Jade Buddha Temple, took the jade Buddha statue from Myanmar to Shanghai. A small temple was then built to house the jade Buddha and for believers worshiping the Buddha. From 1918 to 1928, the temple was rebuilt on Binglang Road (current Anyuan Road) and was named Jade Buddha Temple. Believers would visit the temple to worship the Buddha on the first and fifteenth day in each month of the Chinese Lunar Calendar and traditional Buddhist festivals. The temple also holds all kinds of Buddhism activities and ceremonies. In 1942, the Buddhist Academy of Shanghai was the founded in the temple but was soon closed down. In 1983, the academy reopened and recruited 50 students. Now students of the academy can not only learn about Buddhism knowledge but also other courses such as Chinese, history, economics, politics, foreign languages and philosophy.
Covering an area of 11.6 mu (1.9 acres), the temple mainly follows the style of the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279), including the screen wall, Hall of Heavenly Kings, Mahavira Hall, Jade Buddha Tower, etc. The screen wall is the first feature one sees after entering the temple. A screen wall is an indispensable part of traditional Chinese buildings. The wall in the temple is painted yellow and decorated with brick carvings of dragon, phoenix and elephant patterns, which are all believed to be divine and auspicious animals.
Walking around the wall, you will come to the Hall of Heavenly Kings which faces south. A statue of the Maitreya sits in the center with a statue of Skanda Buddha at its back. At the two sides of the hall are the statues of Four Heavenly Kings.
Walking northward from the Heavenly Kings Hall and crossing the small square, you will come to the main building of the temple, the Mahavira Hall. The hall is a two-storey Song-dynasty style building, with stone columns carved with lions around and small bells hanging at the flying roof and ringing in breeze. Three statues with the Sakyamuni in the middle and statues of the 20 gods are in the hall. At the back of the three statues is the Avalokitesvara statue.
The jade Buddha is kept on the second floor of the Jade Buddha Tower at the north of the Mahavira Hall. The 1.95-meter (6.4 feet) high Buddha statue is made of a whole piece of Burmese jade and decorated with emeralds and agates. Peaceful and delicate, the statue reflects the situation of Sakyamuni sitting in meditation under the banyan tree. The walls in the Jade Buddha Tower are the Tripitaka carved in the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). The first floor of the tower is the place where the abbot of the temple expounds the texts of Buddhism.
Two jade statues of sleeping Buddha are kept in the Sleeping Buddha Hall to the west of the Jade Buddha Tower. One of them was taken from Myanmar by Master Huigen in 1818 and the other one taken from Singapore in 1990.
Entrance Fee: CNY 30
Opening Hours: 08:00 - 17:00
Transportation:
A. Take Bus No. 19, 36, 113, 206 or 506 and get off at Anyuan Road stop;
B. Take Bus No. 24, 54, 68, 76, 112, 138 or 738 and get off at Haifang Road stop;
C. Take Bus No. 13, 63, 105, 950, 563, 768, 830, 837 or 866 and get off at Jiangning Road stop.
Accommodation: The restaurant of the temple provides all kinds of vegetarian food for individual and group visitors. The Juequn Hotel in the temple is decorated as a standard four-star hotel and is able to accommodate visitors and believers from all around the world.
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