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Jade Buddha Temple
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 Jade Buddha Temple, the most famous Buddhist temple in Shanghai,stuated in the northwest near the intersection of Anyuan Lu and Jiangning Lu,houses two magnificent jade Buddhas, carved out of a single piece of white jade. Jade Buddha Temple was built between 1911 and 1918, housing 70 resident monks. Its exterior is easily identifiable by its bright saffron walls. Inside, the centerpiece is a two-meter-high white jade sitting Buddha encrusted with jewels. It is said the statue weighs 1,000kg. The sitting Buddha was installed in the temple when it was brought by monks from Burma to Zhejiang Province in 1882. A smaller reclining Buddha lies on a redwood bed. In the early years of Qing Emperor Guangxu抯 reign, a high monk named Huigen from Puduo Mountain went on a pilgrimage to India. He passed through Tibet and exit from Burma. In Burma he was Shanghai and left two statues, one in sitting posture and the other, in reclining posture. A temple was built to enshrine them. The temple waw deserted during the 1911 Revolution and then rebuilt at the present site in 1918. The new temple was completed in 928. The building is a Song Dynasty palace-type architecture, compact in structure, magnificent in appearance. The sitting jade statue, emerald and jadeite. It is a rare masterpiece in the world. The reclining Buddha statue is in the Reclining Buddha Hall. It is 1-m long, half reclining on a mahogany couch, in a state of nirvana, looking serene and peaceful. In the temple are kept Buddhist scripture and different kinds of Buddhist relics. The vegetarian food in the temple is quite well-known. It is famous for its culinary skill in colour, shape, and flavour. To have a taste of the vegetarian food in Jade Buddha Temple is an enjoyment for the gourmets in Shanghai. At present around the temple are complete facilities for catering, accommodation, amusement and shopping are being built. The temple area will soon become a tourist area in urban Shanghai. |
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