One of Shànghǎi’s few active Buddhist monasteries, this temple was built between 1918 and 1928. The highlight is a transcendent Buddha crafted from pure jade, one of five shipped back to China by the monk Hui Gen at the turn of the 20th century. In February, during the Lunar New Year, the temple is very busy, as some 20,000 Chinese Buddhists throng to pray for prosperity.
Festooned with red lanterns, the first courtyard is located between the Hall of Heavenly Kings and the twin-eaved Great Treasure Hall, where worshippers pray to the past, present and future Buddhas. Also within the main hall are splendidly carved luóhàn (arhats), lashed to the walls with wires and a copper-coloured statue of Guanyin at the rear. Follow the right-hand corridor past the Hall of Heavenly Kings and the Guanyin Hall to arrive at the Jade Buddha Hall. The absolute centrepiece of the temple is the 1.9m-high pale green jade Buddha, seated upstairs. Photographs are not permitted. Near the Jade Buddha Hall downstairs are the Hall of Manjusri Bodhisattva, to whom students pray before exams, and the Hall of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, lord of the Buddhist underworld. Both halls stand before the Ancestral Hall. At the rear of the temple is the peaceful Jingyi Pool (净意潭; jìngyì tán) which swarms with Koi and multicoloured floating artificial lotus blooms, its floor glittering with coins.
A large vegetarian restaurant is attached to the temple around the corner.
