Southeast from Xújiāhuì, Shànghǎi's oldest and largest monastery is named after the pipal tree (lónghuá) under which Buddha achieved enlightenment. The much-renovated temple is said to date from the 10th century, its five main halls commencing with the Laughing Buddha Hall ; note the four huge Heavenly Kings, each in charge of a compass point. The temple is particularly famed for its 6500kg bell, cast in 1894.
A large effigy of Sakyamuni seated on a lotus flower resides within the main hall – the Great Treasure Hall .
Other halls include the Thousand Luóhàn Hall , sheltering a huge legion of glittering arhat. Also within the temple is a vegetarian restaurant and a further imposing structure – the Sānshèngbǎo Hall – with a golden trinity of Buddhist statues.
Opposite the temple entrance rises the seven-storey, 44m-high Lónghuá Pagoda , originally built in AD 977. Sadly, visitors are not allowed to climb it.
The best time to visit is during the Lónghuá Temple Fair, in the third month of the lunar calendar (usually during April or May).
