Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai, Jade Buddha Temple is a Song-dynasty-style architecture with precise complex and harmonious structure

The jade Buddha temple is a famous buddhist temple located in downtown Shanghai. As one of the top 10 tourist attractions in Shanghai, jade Buddha temple is worth a visit.

So far, the jade Buddha temple has a history of more than 130 years. In 1882 (Qing dynasty), the zen master Huigen from mount Wutai, went on a pilgrimage to mount emei  and sacred Tibet, India finally arrived in Burma and took five jade buddhas, ready to be sent back to mount Wutai, one of the four great buddhist mountains in China. On his way through Shanghai, he left behind two – a seated Buddha and a resleeping Buddha – and built a jade Buddha temple. It was later destroyed in the war and rebuilt in 1918.

Jade Buddha Temple is a Song-dynasty-style architecture with precise complex and harmonious structure. In the central axis, there are Hall of Heavenly Kings, Daxiong Grand Hall and Jade Buddha Chamber. In the left and right side, there are Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Hall, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Hall, Manjusri Bodhisattva Hall, Reclining Buddha Statue, Copper Buddha Hall, and so on.

The heavenly king’s hall has two floors and three doors open in the south. Sitting in front of the hall is the Maitreya Buddha, smiling, who will appear in the world in the future. Behind Maitreya is the bodhisattva skanda with a vajra pestle. On either side of the temple were the four heavenly Kings, who represented favorable conditions in the east, west, north and south.

You know the jade Buddha sitting on the second floor of the jade Buddha temple, but do you know where you can see the jade Buddha lying down? Next to the jade Buddha hall is the lying Buddha hall, where you can see the exquisitely carved, 0.96-meter-high Resleeping Buddha. Visitors can only appreciate it through the glass, the Resleeping Buddha is the peaceful smile, which is expressed when sakyamuni Buddha leaves the world.