Jade Buddha Temple, the famous Buddhist temple in Shanghai, is located in the western part of the city.

In 1882, a temple was built to keep two jade Buddha statues which had been brought from Burma
by a monk named Huigen. The temple was destroyed during the revolution that overthrew the Qing
Dynasty. Fortunately the jade Buddha statues were saved and a new temple was built on the
present site in 1928. It was named the Jade Buddha Temple.

The construction of the temple is in the magnificent architectural style of the Song Dynasty. The
temple is composed of several compounds such as the Halls of Heavenly Kings, the Main Hall, the
Hall of the Sleeping Buddha and the Hall of the Jade Buddha.

The two precious jade Buddhist statues which kept here are not only rare cultural relics but also
porcelain artworks. Both the Sitting Buddha and the Recumbent Buddha are carved with whole white jade. The sparkling and crystal-clear white
jade gives the Buddhas the beauty of sanctity and make them more vivid.

As one most precious relics in the Temple, the Sitting Buddha is 190 centimeters high, it is carved out of a single piece of jade with agates and
emeralds inlaid, portraying the Buddha at the moment of his meditation and enlightenment. Housed in the middle of the Pavilion of Jade Buddha,
it is decorated with dazzling Buddhist lights and gold girdles.

The Recumbent Buddha is 96 centimeters long, lying on the right side with the right hand supporting the head
and the left hand placing on the left leg, this shape is called the 'lucky repose'. The sedate face shows the
peaceful mood of Sakyamuni when he left this world.

The temple now also contains another Recumbent Buddha which is four meters long and was brought from
Singapore by the tenth abbot of the temple in 1989. Furthermore there are many other ancient statues,
paintings, a complete set of Buddhist scriptures (printed in the Qing Dynasty), and over 7000 other rare
scriptures in the different halls of the temple. 

Although the history of the Jade Buddha Temple is not very long, the old-time and classical architectural style
makes the temple unique and inimitable in this modern city. It is a good place to go whether you are a
Buddhist or not, the peaceful and transcendent atmosphere adds a kind of richness to our busy modern
society.