Jade Buddha Temple Shanghai

Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai is a Buddhist temple that is located in the city. Like most of the Buddhist temples in China, Jade Buddha Temple also draws heavily from the Pure Land and Chan traditions of Mahayana Buddhism. The temple was established in 1882 when two jade Buddha statues were imported to Shanghai from Burma. The statues that were imported from Burma included a sitting Buddha along with a smaller reclining Buddha statue, which represents Buddha's death. Presently the temple nestles a bigger reclining Jade Buddha statue that was donated from Singapore.

During the revolution in China, the temple was destroyed, but then, fortunately the statues were saved and temple was rebuilt at the same place in 1928. The two valuable jade Buddhist statues are porcelain artworks, besides being a rare cultural remnant. The statue of sitting Buddha of the temple is about 190 centimeters high and is embellished by agate and emerald. The statue of recumbent Buddha on the other hand is 96 centimeters long and features a pose, which is known as the 'lucky repose'. The Jade Buddhist Temple also houses many ancient paintings and Buddhist scriptures, which are located in different halls of the temple.

The temple boasts of several halls that includes the Devajara Hall, the Mahavira Hall, the Jade Buddha Tower, Kwan-yin Dian Hall, the Amitabha Dian Hall, the Zen Tang Hall, the Dining-Room and the Recumbent Buddha Hall. The Jade Buddhist Temple is renowned for its peaceful and transcendent atmosphere and even if you are not a Buddhist, do not forget to visit the temple, while touring Shanghai.