Jing'an Temple () is an esoteric Tangmi Buddhist temple on the West Nanjing Road in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...

Jing'an District Jing'an District () is one of the central districts of Shanghai. In 2014, it had 1,180,000 inhabitants in an area of . The district borders the Hongkou District to the east, Huangpu District to the east and south, Putuo District to the west, ...

, where it is located, is named after the temple.

History

Buddha in the Precious Hall of the Great Hero, Jing ’an Temple, Shanghai

The original temple was first built in 247 AD in the Wu Kingdom during the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

period of ancient China. Originally located beside the

Suzhou Creek Suzhou Creek (or Soochow Creek), also called the Wusong (Woosung) River, is a river that passes through the Shanghai city center. It is named after the neighboring city of Suzhou (Soochow), Jiangsu, the predominant settlement in this area pri ...

, it was relocated to the Jing'an site in 1216 during the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...

. The temple was rebuilt in the

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-speak ...

but, during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...

, the temple was razed and turned into a plastic factory. In 1983, the site was returned to its original purpose and the temple rebuilt. Over the years, the temple has been expanded, with the Jing'an Pagoda being completed in 2010. In 1953, Master Chisong (释持松), a monk who had been initiated into the Shingon sect and was trained as an

acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' ( Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a ...

, was appointed abbot of the temple. He re-established the temple under the Tangmi Buddhist tradition and enshrined the

Mandala of the Two Realms The Mandala of the Two Realms (Traditional Chinese: 両界曼荼羅; Pinyin: ''Liǎngjiè màntúluó''; Romanji: ''Ryōkai mandara''), also known as the Mandala of the Two Divisions (Traditional Chinese: 両部曼荼羅; Pinyin: ''Liǎngbù m� ...

within the temple. In contemporary times, the temple still officially practices Tangmi Buddhism. On December 19, 2009, a 15-ton silver statue of Buddha Rudra cast in pure silver was installed in Jing'an Temple. More than ten 3-ton silver statues of the Bodhisattva and the disciples were added to the Daxiongbao Hall.

Features

Goddess in the Guanyin hall of Jing ’an Temple, Shanghai

Three Southern-style halls, each with its own courtyard, dating from the most recent reconstruction (1880): * Hall of Heavenly Kings * Hall of the Three Saints * Hall of Virtuous Works * The

Mahavira Hall A Mahavira Hall, usually simply known as a Main Hall, is the main hall or building in a traditional Chinese Buddhist temple, enshrining representations of Gautama Buddha and various other buddhas and bodhisattvas. It is encountered throughou ...

("Precious Hall of the Great Hero"), the main hall * To the east of the main hall is the

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 ...

Hall. In the center of the hall is a statue of the goddess made out of

camphor Camphor () is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel (''Cinnamomum camphora''), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the k ...

wood. Standing on a lotus-shaped base, it is 6.2 meters tall and weighs 5 metric tons * Opposite the hall is the Jade Buddha Hall, where a 3.8-meter

jade Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group ...

Buddha 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 L ...

sits in the center. It is the largest sitting jade Buddha statue in the country * Abbot's Chambers *

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

copper bell (Hongwu Bell), weighing 3.5 tons * Stone Buddhas from the

Southern and Northern Dynasties The Northern and Southern dynasties () was a period of political division in the history of China that lasted from 420 to 589, following the tumultuous era of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Eastern Jin dynasty. It is sometimes considered as ...

period (420-589 AD) * Paintings by master painters, Chu Zhishan, Zhang Daqian and Wen Zhenming *

Mandalas A mandala ( sa, मण्डल, maṇḍala, circle, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for e ...

enshrined at a tantric altar on the upper floor

Transportation

The temple sits on top of the Jing'an Temple Station, a major hub of the

Shanghai Metro The Shanghai Metro (; Shanghainese: ''Zaon6he5 Di6thiq7'') is a rapid transit system in Shanghai, operating urban and suburban transit services to 14 of its 16 municipal districts and to Kunshan, Jiangsu Province. Served as a part of Shang ...

network where Line 2 and Line 7 intersect. You can take Bus No.113, 40, 830, 824, 20, 15, 37, 21 to arrive Jing'an Temple. There are also Shuttle Express Service provided from airports to Jing'an Temple
Pudong Airport Shuttle Bus Line No. 2
run from City Terminal (beside Jing'an Temple)

Opening Time

The temple opens at 7:30AM and closes at 17:00PM daily in most times of the year .

References

File:Jing'an Temple at night.jpg, The night scene of Jing'an Temple File:Jing'an Temple interior 2.jpg, Inside the temple File:Jing'an Temple door pull.jpg, Doors of the temple File:Jing'an Temple Well Room.jpg, The Well Room File:Jing'an Temple walkway.jpg, Walkways File:Jing'an Temple groups.jpg, The grounds File:Jing'an Temple stairs carving.jpg, The carvings on the stairs File:Jing'an Temple's original bell.jpg, This bell was the original temple bell File:Jing'an Temple wall carving.jpg, carvings File:Jing'an Temple special beam.jpg, The right most beam of the temple is unfinished on the top. File:Jing'an Temple inside.jpg, Interior File:Jing'an Temple window.jpg, The windows File:Jing'an Temple Shanghai 8.jpg, Inside Jing'an Temple File:Jing an with temple.jpg, Jing'an temple inside the modern urban area File:Jing'an Temple Shanghai 3.jpg, Inside Jing'an Temple

External links

*
Official Jing'an Temple website
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