Jade Buddha Temple

The present Jade Buddha Temple(Yu Fo Si, 玉佛寺) in Shanghai was built in 1918 which is located at No.170, Anyuan Road (安远路). The temple follows the architectural style of the Song Dynasty with a precise layout and harmonious structure. Inside the temple are the Heavenly-king Hall (Tian Wang Dian, 天王殿), Great Hall (Da Xiong Bao Dian, 大雄宝殿), and Jade-Buddha Hall (Yu Fo Lou, 玉佛楼).

In 1882, Master Huigen（慧根）of Putuo Mountain（普陀山） passed the mountains of Wutai（五台山）and Emei（峨眉山）then entered Tibet and India for commemorating the Buddha. Huigen got the jade by excavating mountains with the help of local Chinese working overseas. Carving the jade into 5 Buddha statues he then carried them back to Putuo Mountain; both the sitting Buddha and lying Buddha were left in Shanghai. Subsequently, the Jade-Buddha Temple was built but destroyed by wars in the year 1918. Fortunately the jade Buddha statues were saved and a new temple was built on the present site. The two precious jade Buddhist statues became not only rare cultural relics but also porcelain artworks.

During the first and the fifteenth day of each month in the Chinese lunar calendar or during some traditional festivals related with Buddhism, believers are used to gather at the temple to pray for happiness and Buddha's blessing. It is really impressive and distinct that the temple in urban city is so popular, crowded, and holy.