Jing An Temple is the most famous landmark in Jing An District, from which the district obtained its name. It is known as the oldest shrine in the
city, dating back even further than the city itself.

It was said that Jing An Temple have been built during the Three Kingdom Period (247 A.D.), which more
than 1,000 years before the official beginning of the city of Shanghai in 1292. And relocated to its present
location in the 9th year of South Song Emperor's Jiading era (1216 B.C.). It has been restored several
times since the Yuan Dynasty and was finally destroyed in Taipingtianguo with only Dafou Hall left. In
1921, the hall of the three saints was added and the present scale came into being gradually. in 1999,
the temple was renovated on a large scale and it became more charming.

The two-story pagoda structure stands opposite Jing An Park and adjacent to a luxurious shopping
center.
To the east of the main hall is the Guanyin Hall, a place for people to pay tribute to the Goddess of Mercy
(Guanyin). The rare female Buddha is one of the most universally beloved deities in Buddhism. In the
center of the hall is a statue of the goddess made out of camphor wood. Standing on a lotus-shaped
base, it is 6.2 meters tall and weights 5 tons.
Notable buildings also include the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Hall of the Three Saints, the Hall
of Virtuous Works and the Abbot's Chambers, with rooms for the chanting of scriptures.
The three Southern-style main halls, each with its own courtyard, date from the most recent
reconstruction in 1880. Other best antiquities in the temple are a Ming Dynasty copper bell
(Hongwu Bell), which weighs about 3.5 tons, housed on the second-floor base of the main hall
and Stone Buddhas from the Southern and Northern Dynasties period (420-589).

Zhenyanzong (a school of Buddhism) forums are held in the abbot’s chambers upstairs, there are
5 such meetings held each year. As well, there is the memorial hall of master Dadechisong of the
Zhenyanzong and some historic relics like stele with inscription of the Emperor Guangzong of the
Song Dynasty and bell of the second year of Hongwu. 

The temple is particularly lively on the first and the fifth days of the lunar month. Many parents go to the temple to pray for their son or daughter
before they take the college entrance exam in hopes of bringing them luck.