Jade Buddha Temple – Shanghai, China
Filed Under (South-East Asia) by ariV on 22-12-2010
Tagged Under : china, classical architecture style, jade buddha temple, shanghai
Despite the increasing modern outlook in the city of Shanghai, one of the city”s most visited tourist attractions is a throwback to earlier times. In 1882, a monk dragged a 6 ft white jade Buddha all the way to Shanghai from Myanmar, with only a vague idea of how he was going to construct a temple around the precious artifact. His perseverance paid off though, and now thousands of worshippers a day (sometimes over 20,000 a day during the Spring Festival) make it a point to visit the Jade Buddha Temple. Especially as the national government continues to relax restrictions on religious ceremonies throughout the country, few locations have benefited as much as this particular temple.
Another factor that adds to the heavy spiritual element at the Jade Buddha Temple is the classical architecture style in which the temple was designed, and especially unique in the midst of the modern day flourish that is Shanghai. Though the city stays awake deep into the Chinese night, you may want to take note of the closing time, an ever-shifting bit of information on the Jade Buddha Temple that could result in a metro ride for nothing, though the exterior is still quite impressive in the orange of evening.
Hainan Island could be a destination in China, but only Beidaihe is amazing places for decades.
