Jing'an Temple (; historically Bubbling Well Temple) is an esoteric Tangmi Buddhist temple on West Nanjing Road (historically Nanking or Bubbling Well Road in English) in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

History

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

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...

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 prior ...

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

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

. The temple was rebuilt in the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

but, during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

, 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 (釋持松), a renowned Republican monk who had been initiated into the Shingon sect and trained as an

acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a religious teacher in Hinduism and Buddhism and a spiritual guide to Hindus and Buddhists. The designation has different meanings i ...

, was appointed abbot of the temple. He reestablished 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''; Rōmaji: ''Ryōkai mandara''), also known as the Mandala of the Two Divisions (Traditional Chinese: 両部曼荼羅; Pinyin: ''Liǎngbù mà ...

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

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 culture, Chinese Buddhist temple, enshrining representations of Gautama Buddha and various other buddhas and bodhisattvas. It is encoun ...

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

Guanyin Guanyin () is a common Chinese name of the bodhisattva associated with Karuṇā, compassion known as Avalokiteśvara (). Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means " he One WhoPerceives the Sounds of the World". Originally regarded as m ...

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 kapu ...

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 an umbrella term for two different types of decorative rocks used for jewelry or Ornament (art), ornaments. Jade is often referred to by either of two different silicate mineral names: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in t ...

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 legends, he was ...

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 of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

copper bell (Hongwu Bell), weighing 3.5 tons * Stone Buddhas from the Southern and Northern Dynasties period (420-589 AD) * Paintings by master painters, Chu Zhishan, Zhang Daqian and Wen Zhenming *

Mandalas A mandala (, ) 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 establishing a sacred space and as an aid ...

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 List of township-level divisions of Shanghai, municipal districts and to the neighb ...

network where Line 2, Line 7, and Line 14 intersect. You can take Bus No. 113, 40, 830, 824, 20, 15, 37, and 21 to arrive at 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 5:00PM 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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{{Portal bar, Religion, China Buddhist temples in Shanghai Jing'an District Qing dynasty architecture Song dynasty architecture 3rd-century Buddhist temples 247 establishments 3rd-century establishments in China Landmarks in Shanghai