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Jade Budda Temple Shanghai

In the western part of Shanghai, a very modern and flourishing city, there is a venerable and famous Buddhist temple,
Jade Buddha Temple (Yùfó Sì), covering an area of 8,000 square meters . In 1882, an old temple was built to keep two jade Buddha statues which had been brought from Burma by a monk named Huigen. The temple was burned down during the
revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty in the early 20th century. In 1918, Jade Buddha Temple was rebuilt on Anyuan Road. Fortunately the jade Buddha statues were saved and a new temple was built on
the present site in 1928. It was named the Jade Buddha Temple.

The two precious jade Buddhist statues are not only rare cultural relics but also porcelain artworks. Both the Sitting
Buddha and the Recumbent Buddha are carved with whole white jade. The sparkling and crystal-clear white jade gives the Buddhas the beauty of sanctity and make them more vivid. The Sitting Buddha is 190 centimeters high and encrusted by
the agate and the emerald, portraying the Buddha at the moment of his meditation and enlightenment. The Recumbent Buddha is 96 centimeters long, lying on the right side with the right hand supporting the head and the left
hand placing on the left leg, this shape is called the ‘lucky repose’. The sedate face shows the peaceful mood of Sakyamuni when he left this world. In the temple there is also another Recumbent Buddha which is four meters long and was
brought from Singapore by the tenth abbot of the temple in 1989. Furthermore there are many other ancient paintings and Buddhist scriptures distributed in the different halls ofthe temple. The temple now also contains a much larger reclining Jade Buddha, donated from Singapore, and visitors sometimes mistake this larger sculpture for the original, smaller piece

History

During the rule of emperor Guang Xu in theQing dynasty (1875-1908), Hui Gen, an abbot from Mount
Putuo went on a pilgrimage to Tibet via the two famous Chinese mountains Mount Wutaiand Mount Emei.

After Tibet,
he arrived in Burma. While there, Mr. Chen Jun-Pu, an overseas Chinese resident in Burma, donated five Jade statues of Buddha to Hui Gen, who transported two of them back to Jiang-wan, Shanghai.

Here Hui Gen had a temple built with donated funds, and died shortly thereafter. This temple was occupied during the 1911
uprising, and the statues were moved to Maigen Road.

An Abbot by the name of Ke Chen later had a new temple built on land donated by a Mr. Shen. The construction took ten
years, and lasted from 1918-1928. Ke Chen also invited Reverend Di Xian from Tian Tai mountain to come and lecture on Buddhism in a magnificent ceremony.

In 1956, a ceremony was held at the temple by the Shanghai Buddhist Association to celebrate the 2500th anniversary of
Gautama Buddha’s enlightenment. In 1966, during the cultural revolution, the monks made a living by selling handicrafts.

In 1983, Shanghai Institute of Buddhism was established at the temple under the Shanghai Buddhist Association. In 1985,
Monk Zhizhi Xuan and others made a trip to Dunhuang via Xinjiang. Shortly after their return regular scripture lectures, meditation and other features of temple life were resumed.

Although the history of the Jade Buddha Temple is not very long,
the old-time and classical architectural style makes the temple unique and inimitable in this modern city. Devajara Hall, Mahavira Hall and the Jade Buddha Tower make up the main structure of the temple and at sides are the Kwan-yin Dian Hall, the Amitabha Dian Hall, the Zen Tang Hall, the Dining-Room and the Recumbent Buddha Hall.
The Sitting Buddha is in the Jade Buddha Tower and the Recumbent Buddhas are in the Recumbent Buddha Hall. More than 7,000 Dazang sutras are kept in the Jade

Buddha Tower; these are all the inestimable culture relics.

The Jade
Buddha Temple is a good place to go whether you are a Buddhist or not, the peaceful and transcendent atmosphere adds a kind of richness to our busy modern society.

The Chamber of Four Heavenly Kings contains a laughing Maitreya, a Wei-to Boddhisattva and the Four Heavenly Kings, who represent favourable circumstance. The chamber is located on the southern-edge, or ‘front’ of the temple.

The Grand Hall, also called the Great Hall, this hall contains
many statues, including:

• Three Golden Buddhas. The central sculpture is of Gautama Buddha,
  the left of Amitabha and the right of Bhaisajyaguru.
• Gods of the Twenty Heavens. The Gods of the Twenty Heavens, covered
  in gold, line the eastern and western sides of the Grand Hall.
• 18 Arhats. 18 unique golden Arhats stand in two groups of nine.
• Guanyin, Shen Cai and his 53 teachers. A large golden statue of
  Guanyin stands on at northern entrance to the Great Hall, with Shen Cai at
  her side and sculptures representing the 53 teachers of his life above.

The Jade Buddha Chamber is in the northern section of the temple, on the second floor. A fee of 10 yuan is charged to ascend to it. Some additional Buddhist sculptures are also viewable in the antechamber.

The public restaurant is located on level two at the eastern edge of the temple and equipped with its
own street entrance. Open daily, it serves a range of noodle dishes for five yuan per bowl, the most popular of which is double mushroom noodles. Other dishes are served at moderate prices.

The temple also contains a private restaurant for the use of monks and temple volunteers, which is
at the western edge of the temple complex. There is a visitor services office adjacent to the southern entrance, and a Buddhist library is also on the premises.

There are monks currently living in the Temple and the Temple houses the Shanghai Buddhist Institute. Here many ancient statues, paintings, a complete set of Buddhist scriptures (printed in the Qing Dynasty), and over 7000 other rare scriptures are kept.

Shanghai Jade Buddha Temple

Address: 170 Anyuan Road

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