Jade Buddha Temple

 

Essentials of the Jade Buddha Temple

Chinese Name: 玉佛寺 Pronunciation: yù fó sì

Building Time: 1900

Opening Hours: 8:00-16:30

Suggested Visiting Hours: 1-2 Hours

Occupied Area: About 8,856 square meters

Address: 170 Anyuan Road, Putuo District, Shanghai

Best Visiting Season: Spring and Autumn (March to May, September to November)

Building Function: Jade Buddha Temple is the holy land of Buddhism in China, and it is also a place for people to seek a sign and pray for blessings.

Popular Activities: On the first and fifteenth day of the lunar new year, as well as various important Buddhist days, believers from all over the country will come to pray.

Admission Ticket Fare: 20 yuan for admission, in the incense season (the first and fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year), the ticket is 10 yuan. If you want to enter the Jade Buddha Building, it will cost another 10 yuan.

 

Introduction of the Jade Buddha Temple

Jade Buddha Temple is located at No. 170 Anyuan Road, Putuo District, Shanghai. It is named after Jade Buddha because it mainly worships Jade Buddha. It belongs to the Linji system(One of the five main schools of Southern Zen) of Zen Buddhism and practices Zen. Jade Buddha Temple is one of the top ten tourist attractions in Shanghai. Although it is located in a prosperous urban area, it is also quiet in the bustle. It is regarded as a pure land in the busy city. The founder and first abbot of Jade Buddha Temple are master Huigen.
 

Jade Buddha Temple is an imitated Song Dynasty(960—1279) temple building with a strict layout, covering an area of 11.6 mu(a unit of measurement in China) and a building area of 8,856 square meters. The temple is built in the style of the Song Dynasty. On the central axis, there are three halls: Tianwang Hall, Grand Hall, and the Jade Buddha Chamber. On both sides, there are Guanyin Hall, Bronze Buddha Hall, Reclining Buddha Hall, Zen Hall, Vegetarian Canteen, etc.
 

In the Jade Buddha Temple, there are many precious Buddhist classics and cultural relics. In the Jade Buddha Chamber, there are treasures (Qianlong[An emperor of Qing Dynasty] version of the Tripitaka), as well as the Song Dynasty's Qisha(moraine sand) collection and Pinjia collection, which were photocopied during the period of the Republic of China. These voluminous Tibetan scriptures are extremely precious Buddhist classics.

 

History of the Jade Buddha Temple

In 1882, Huigen, a master from Putuo Mountain, went to Wutai Mountain, went to Emei Mountain, went to Tibet, went to India, and then went to Myanmar. With the support of the local overseas Chinese, he opened the mountain to get jade and carved five jade Buddhas, and came back to Putuo Mountain. When passing through Shanghai, one sitting Buddha and one reclining Buddha were left. A temple was built in Jiangwan Town to worship them, which is called Jade Buddha Temple.
 

In the seventh year of the Republic of China (1918), the Jade Buddha Temple was destroyed by fire, so it was rebuilt at its present site.
 

On January 8, 1963, Premier Zhou Enlai personally accompanied Mrs. Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, to the Jade Buddha Temple to attend a memorial ceremony held to commemorate the 64th anniversary of the birth of Sri Lanka's former prime minister.
 

Since the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the CPC Central Committee, the Jade Buddha Temple has been put under its own management. According to the temple system, the Buddhist circles in Shanghai have promoted the positions of abbot and supervisor.
 

Jade Buddha Temple was listed as a national key Buddhist temple in the Han nationality area by the State Council in 1983, and announced as a municipal building protection unit by Shanghai Municipal People's Government in 1994.

 

Must-visit Attractions at the Jade Buddha Temple

Tianwang Hall

The first entrance of the Jade Buddha Temple is the Tianwang hall. The Tianwang hall was built near the street. Due to historical reasons such as limited land use, it is integrated with the mountain gate, which is the characteristic of Jade Buddha Temple. Tianwang hall, the traditional Hall of Chinese Buddhist temples, is named after the four heavenly kings. Maitreya Bodhisattva is worshipped in the front of Tianwang Hall, and Weituo Bodhisattva is worshipped on the back. (Bodhisattva Weituo is the Dharma protector of Buddhism.) It is said that after the nirvana of Sakyamuni Buddha, evil demons snatched the Buddha's relic, and Weituo chased him back in time. Therefore, Buddhism regarded him as God to expel evil spirits and to protect Buddhism. Bodhisattva Weituo is wearing golden helmets and armor, holding a Vajra pestle. His eyes are full of awe.

Grand Hall

Grand Hall is the main building in the temple, which is about 30 meters long and 25 meters wide. The appearance is a Song Dynasty style two-story palace building, simple and solemn. In the center of the hall is Sakyamuni Buddha, and on both sides are Amitabha Buddha and Pharmacist Buddha. The three great Buddhas sit on the lotus seat with a peaceful look. The statue of Buddha is 4 meters high and covered with gold, which makes the whole hall appear golden and solemn. On the caisson above the head of Sakyamuni Buddha, the naked Dharma of Sakyamuni when he was born and the whirlpool pattern of nine dragons spitting water to bathe him are vividly and interesting. On both sides of the hall are not the images of the eighteen Arhats, but the statues of twenty heavenly deities protecting the Dharma. Behind the three Buddhas is a huge painted sculpture of Guanyin on the island.

Jade Buddha Chamber

The Jade Buddha Chamber is named after the Jade Buddha. This sitting statue of jade Buddha, 1.95 meters high, is carved from the whole jade. The Buddha sits with the palm of his left hand upward on his left leg, which indicates that Sakyamuni is meditating under the bodhi tree. The Buddha's right hand is naturally drooping, and his fingers touch the ground, which is called "touch the ground". The Buddha's face is plump, and his eyebrows like a crescent moon, with half-open eyes and closed lips. The Buddha is exquisitely carved. There are more than 100 jadeites, agate and other gems on the edge of the cassock and the right arm. The whole Buddha gives out a crystal clear luster, which makes the Buddha show a serene, kind and loving manner.

Abbot’s Room

The third hall is Abbot's room. On the front wall is a portrait of Dharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism. The upper floor of Abbot's room is the Jade Buddha building. There are several antique bronzes on display in front of Abbot's room, which are beautiful in shape and powerful in momentum. On both sides of Abbot's room, there are several gold-plated tools, which reflect the solemn and generous momentum of the temple. There is an extra charge of 10 yuan for Abbot's room. Sometimes it doesn't charge. It depends on the season, so you need to prepare the change in advance if you want to visit.

 

How to Get to Jade Buddha Temple

By Bus

If you start from the city center, you need to walk to Henan Middle Road Station of Beijing East Road, take bus No.19, pass eight stops, get off at Anyuan Road Station of Ningjiang Road, walk 20 meters to the destination. It takes about 40 minutes and costs 2 yuan.
 

If you start from Shanghai railway station, you need to walk to Datong Road Station on Tianmu Middle Road, take bus No.13 or No.63, pass two stops, and get off at Xikang Road Station on Changshou Road. After getting off the bus, walk about 570 meters to the destination. It takes about 30 minutes and costs 2 yuan.
 

If you start from Pudong International Airport, you need to walk to Pudong International Airport Station of Metro Line 2, pass 22 stops to Zhongshan Park Station, leave the station at exit 7, walk about 160 meters to Zhongshan Park Station, take bus No.54, get off at Haifang Road Station of Jiangning Road, walk about 345 meters to the destination. It takes about 120 minutes and costs 9 yuan.
 

If you start from Hongqiao International Airport, you need to walk to Yingbin No.1 station on Youle Road, take bus no.941, pass through 16 stops, and arrive at Changshou Road and Nanning Road station. After walking about 360 meters, you will arrive at the destination. It takes 100 minutes and costs about 3 yuan.

By Subway

If you start from the center of the city, you need to walk to Nanjing East Road station, and take Metro Line 10 to get to Tiantong Road station, then transfer to line 12 to Dahan Middle Road station, then transfer to line 13 to Jiangning Road Station, and exit the subway from exit 3, and walk about 445 meters to the destination. It takes about 30 minutes and costs 3 yuan.
 

If you start from Shanghai Railway Station, you need to take Metro Line 1 to middle Dahan Road station, then transfer to line 13 to Jiangning Road station and get out of the subway from exit 3, then walk about 445 meters to the destination. It takes about 20 minutes and costs 3 yuan.
 

If you start from Pudong International Airport, you need to take Metro Line 2 to Nanjing West Road station, and transfer to line 13. Exit the subway from exit 3 and walk about 445 meters to the destination. It takes about 95 minutes and costs 7 yuan.
 

If you start from Hongqiao International Airport, you need to take Metro Line 10 to Xintiandi Station, then transfer to line 13, and take five stops to arrive at Jiangning Road station, then walk about 445 meters, and reach your destination. It takes 53 minutes and costs about 4 yuan.

By Taxi

Chinese: 请带我去玉佛寺。English: Please take me to the Jade Buddha Temple.

If you start from the city center and take a taxi to the Jade Buddha Temple, it will cost about 35 yuan and take about 25 minutes.

If you start from Shanghai Railway Station and take a taxi to the Jade Buddha Temple, it costs about 20 yuan and takes about 15 minutes.

If you start from Pudong International Airport and take a taxi to Jade Buddha Temple, it will cost about 200 yuan and take about 70 minutes. (Passengers may be required to bear about 30 yuan of expressway fare.)

If you start from Hongqiao International Airport and take a taxi to the Jade Buddha Temple, it will cost about 70 yuan and take about 50 minutes. (Passengers may be required to bear about 30 yuan of expressway fare.)
 

• Travel Tips：

1. As the Jade Buddha Temple is a Buddhist holy land, many places are not allowed to take photos, which is disrespectful to the Buddha.

2. No loud noise is allowed in the Buddha Hall. Parents with children need to be informed in advance.

3. The incense candles used in the Jade Buddha Temple need extra consumption. Please prepare cash in advance.

4. If you come here in summer, you need to prepare sunscreen and mosquito repellent products in advance, and bring enough water to prevent heatstroke.