The Donglin Temple () is a
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
temple located in the town of Zhujing,
Jinshan District
Jinshan District, is a suburban district of southwestern Shanghai, neighboring Zhejiang province and Hangzhou Bay. It has a land area of and a population of 732,500 as of the 2010 Chinese census. Jinshan District, located in the southwest of ...
,
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. It is dedicated to
Guan Yin
Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She w ...
, the
bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood.
In the Early Buddhist schools ...
of compassion.
History
The temple was first constructed during the
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...
in 1308,
["Donglin Temple" - official website of the Administration of Jinshan District]
but has been destroyed repeatedly by war, fire, neglect, and to make way for reconstruction.
[ The only remaining historical building on the site (a hall) was listed as a city-level protected cultural site in 1987.][ The temple was complete redesigned and rebuilt in the years 2004 to 2007.]
/ref>
Architectural layout
As of 2010, the temple has occupied a 20-hectare site.[ The main entrance gate of the complex is reached via three parallel bridges.
The central feature of the temple's courtyard is a 5.4-meter-tall statue of ]Sudhana
Sudhanakumāra (), mainly known as Sudhana and Shancai or Shancai Tongzi in Chinese, and translated as ''Child of Wealth'', is the protagonist in the last and longest chapter of the ''Avatamsaka Sutra''. Sudhana appears in Buddhist, Taoist and folk ...
,[ the Child of Wealth (), decorated with ]Cloisonné
Cloisonné () is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects with colored material held in place or separated by metal strips or wire, normally of gold. In recent centuries, vitreous enamel has been used, but inlays of cut gemstones, ...
enamel.[ The statue is surrounded by 8 copper fish with opened mouth into which visitors can toss coins.
In the back of the courtyard lies, the main building of the temple, the ]Hall of Guanyin
The Hall of Guanyin or Guanyin Hall ( or ) is the most important annex halls in Chinese Buddhist temples and mainly for enshrining Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara). Guanyin, also called "Guanshiyin" (), "Guanshizizai" (), "Guanzizai" (), etc., is the at ...
. The hall's exterior mimics a large red natural cliff. The entrance gate to the building is about 20 meters high and 10 meters wide. Its bronze doors are decorated with 999 relief images of Buddha.[ The hall is 31 meters wide, 42 meters deep, and 31 meters high][ and houses a gilded statue of the thousand-armed ]Guanyin
Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...
. The statue is 27 meters tall and stands on a 2-meter-high lotus base.[ Its arms are up to 5 meters in length.][
]
See also
Location
The temple is located to in the southwest of Shanghai, on the corner of Renmin Road and Donglin Street. Its address is: No. 150 Donglin Street, Zhujing Town, Jinshan District, Shanghai.
References
{{National Key Buddhist Temples in Han Chinese Area
Buddhist temples in Shanghai
Yuan dynasty architecture
14th-century Buddhist temples