The temple was founded in 1882 when a monk named Huigen returned from Burma with five jade Buddha statues and built a small temple to house them; the present buildings date from the early twentieth century, after the original site was lost. It has been an active monastery through the twentieth century and remains one today, with resident monks and daily services.
The jade Buddhas
The two principal statues are carved from single blocks of white jade. The seated Buddha, about 1.9 meters tall, shows the moment of enlightenment and is kept in a hall where photography is not permitted. The reclining Buddha, roughly a meter long, shows the Buddha's entry into nirvana and is in a separate hall.
The rest of the complex
The temple follows the standard Chinese Buddhist plan: a Hall of Heavenly Kings with the four guardian figures, a Grand Hall with three large gilded Buddhas, a Guanyin hall, and a hall of arhats, plus a vegetarian restaurant and a small shop selling incense and Buddhist goods. The decorative painting and the roof figures are worth attention, and the courtyards are usually quiet despite being inside a dense residential district.
Visiting notes
The temple is in Putuo district in the west of the city, easily reached by metro and close to the shopping streets around Jing'an. Allow about forty-five minutes. Dress respectfully: cover shoulders and knees and remove hats inside the halls. The vegetarian restaurant next door is popular with locals and is a good lunch stop. Admission is modest and incense is available at the entrance.
