Hongfu Temple () is a Buddhist temple located in

Fengxian District Fengxian District, is a suburban district in the south of Shanghai with a land area of , a registered population (as of 2010) of 1,083,400, and 1.5 to 2 times more migrants. It is known for its relative rusticity, as well as its beaches and oc ...

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 flowin ...

, China.

History

Hongfu Temple was first established in 1766, during the mid-

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

, the modern temple was founded in 1995.

Architecture

The temple occupies an area of . Along the central axis are the

Paifang A ''paifang'', also known as a ''pailou'', is a traditional style of Chinese architectural arch or gateway structure. Evolved from the Indian subcontinent's ''torana'' through the introduction of Buddhism to China, it has developed many styles ...

Four Heavenly Kings Hall The Hall of Four Heavenly Kings or Four Heavenly Kings Hall (), referred to as Hall of Heavenly Kings, is the first important hall inside a shanmen (mount gate) in Chinese Buddhist temples and is named due to the Four Heavenly Kings statues enshr ...

, Mahavira Hall and Buddhist Texts Library. There are over 10 halls and rooms on both sides, including Guru Hall, Abbot Hall, Monastic Dining Hall, Monastic Reception Hall and Meditation Hall.

Paifang

The

is engraved with the words "Hongfu Temple" written by the former Venerable Master of the

Buddhist Association of China The Buddhist Association of China (BCA; ) is the official government supervisory organ of Buddhism in the People's Republic of China. The association has been overseen by the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since ...

Zhao Puchu Zhao Puchu (November 5, 1907 – May 21, 2000) was a religious and public leader who promoted cultural progress and religious tolerance in China. Zhao was best known as president of the Buddhist Association of China and also one of the most ...

Four Heavenly Kings Hall

The statues of Maitreya Buddha, Skanda and

Four Heavenly Kings The Four Heavenly Kings are four Buddhist gods, each of whom is believed to watch over one cardinal direction of the world. In Chinese mythology, they are known collectively as the "Fēng Tiáo Yǔ Shùn" () or "Sìdà Tiānwáng" (). In the ...

are enshrined in the

Hall of Four Heavenly Kings The Hall of Four Heavenly Kings or Four Heavenly Kings Hall (), referred to as Hall of Heavenly Kings, is the first important hall inside a shanmen (mount gate) in Chinese Buddhist temples and is named due to the Four Heavenly Kings statues enshr ...

. They are the eastern

Dhṛtarāṣṭra Dhṛtarāṣṭra (Sanskrit; Pali: ''Dhataraṭṭha'') is a major deity in Buddhism and one of the Four Heavenly Kings. His name means "Upholder of the Nation." Names The name ''Dhṛtarāṣṭra'' is a Sanskrit compound of the words ''dhṛ ...

, the southern Virūḍhaka, the western

Virūpākṣa Virūpākṣa (Sanskrit; Pali: Virūpakkha; traditional Chinese: 廣目天王; simplified Chinese: 广目天王; pinyin: ''Guǎngmù Tiānwáng''; Japanese: 広目天 ''Kōmokuten'') is a major deity in Buddhism. He is one of the Four Heavenly ...

, and the northern

Vaiśravaṇa (Sanskrit: वैश्रवण) or (Pali; , , ja, 毘沙門天, Bishamonten, ko, 비사문천, Bisamuncheon, vi, Đa Văn Thiên Vương), is one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and is considered an important figure in Buddhism. Names The n ...

Mahavira Hall

The Mahavira Hall enshrining the wood carving statues of

Sakyamuni Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...

, Suryaprabha and Bhaisajyaguru.

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 ...

, Manjushri and Samantabhadra are placed at Sakyamuni's back. The statues of

Sixteen Arhats The Sixteen Arhats ( Chinese: 十六羅漢, pinyin: ''Shíliù Luóhàn'', Rōmaji: ''Jūroku Rakan''; Tibetan: གནས་བརྟན་བཅུ་དྲུག, "Neten Chudrug") are a group of legendary Arhats in Buddhism. The grouping of sixt ...

and Sixteen

Yaksha The yakshas ( sa, यक्ष ; pi, yakkha, i=yes) are a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in ...

s stand on both sides of the hall.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hongfu Temple Buddhist temples in Shanghai Buildings and structures in Shanghai Tourist attractions in Shanghai 1995 establishments in China 20th-century Buddhist temples Religious buildings and structures completed in 1995