Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai

Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai
Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:China-Shanghai-Jade_Buddha_Temple_6046-05.jpg
Author: Steve46814


The Jade Buddha Temple, also known as the Shanghai Yufo Temple, is one of the most important Buddhist temples in Shanghai, China. The temple is located at 170 Anyuan Road. It is a Mahayana Buddhist temple that subscribes to both the Pure Land and Chan traditions.

The Jade Buddha Temple was founded in 1882 by Abbot Hui Gen during the reign of Emperor Guang Xu (1875-1908) of the Qing Dynasty. Abbot Hui Gen had made a Buddhist pilgrimage to Tibet passing through Mount Wutai and Mount Emei. On his return journey he arrived in Myanmar, where he received a gift of five jade statues of the Buddha from an overseas Chinese resident of Myanmar, one Chen Jun-Pu. Abbot Hui Gen brought two of these statues back to Jiang-wan, Shanghai, and enshrined them in a temple there. Not long after that, he passed away.

During the upheavals of the Chinese Revolution, the temple was taken over by revolutionists, and the statues were relocated for safekeeping. In 1918, a new abbot Ke Chen started work on the present temple. It was completed ten years later, and opened with a lavish ceremony.

Jade Buddha Temple, exterior
Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shanghai_jade_buddha_temple_outside.jpg
Author: lamtherealnick


As with most temples in China, the Jade Buddha Temple suffered during the Cultural Revolution, when its monks were forced to make a living selling handicrafts. It was only reopened in 1980, thirty years after it was forced to close. Yet today it is one of the biggest temples in Shanghai, with about 100 monks.

The Jade Buddha Temple has three main halls linked by two courtyards. The first is the Hall of the Heavenly Kings, which contains the statues of the Maitreya, Wei Tuo Bodhisattva and the four Heavenly Kings.

The second hall is the Grand Hall of Magnificence, which contains three golden Buddha statues, representing the three incarnations of the Buddha, and many other statues.

Reclining Buddha
Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:China-Shanghai-Jade_Buddha_Temple_6048-05.jpg
Author: Steve46814


The final major hall is the Jade Buddha Chamber, on the northern section of the temple. It contains a large jade statue of a reclining Buddha. Upstairs is another, more exquisite statue, carved from a single piece of jade encrusted in jewels, of a seated Buddha. Photography is not allowed here. The Jade Buddha Temple is open daily from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

How to reach the Jade Buddha Temple

Take Line 7 of the Shanghai Metro to the Chang Shou Road subway station. Walk south down Changde Road until intersection with Anyuan Road. Turn left and walk east on Anyuan Road until you reach the Jade Buddha Temple on your left.

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

 Discover with Timothy YouTube Channel

 PG Food Channel

 Learn Penang Hokkien YouTube Channel

SojiMart Videos

 Share your travels and/or ask a travel-related question

Join the Penang Travel Tips Facebook Group to share photos, tips and anything related to your travels, or ask travel-related questions.

Map of Roads in Penang

Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road.

Discover with Timothy

Let me take you to explore and discover Penang through my series of walking tours on YouTube. You may use these videos as your virtual tour guide. At the beginning of each video, I provide the starting point coordinates which you may key into your GPS, Google Maps or Waze, to be navigated to where I start the walk, and use the video as your virtual tour guide.

Disclaimer

Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.

Latest from Discover with Timothy: Gurney Bay - what to see and do there

About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

Robbie's Roadmap