Yufo Temple

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Yufo Temple (Jade Buddha Temple) is named after a jade statue of the Buddha inside it. The temple is relatively young, built as it was only a century ago, but it leads its counterparts in Shanghai in terms of scale and interior decoration, and it enjoys a worldwide reputation. The 1.9-meter-high statue of the Buddha, carved out of a whole piece of jade with a crystal-clear texture in state-of-the-art craftsmanship, was purchased with donations from Myanmar during the Guangxu reign of the Qing. Despite its short history the temple has changed its venue three times. At first it was a small affair close to the Jiangwan Railway Station. After the Revolution of 1911, the temple was occupied and used for other purposes, and the monks had no choice but to have a new temple built on present-day Huai'an Road. Later, with its influence outgrowing its size, the temple was moved to its present site.

The temple as it stands today has a methodical layout, and its main buildings, including the Maitreya Hall, the Mahavira Hall, and the Jade Buddha Chamber are regarded as splendid paragons of classical Chinese architecture. The Jade Buddha Temple is definitely the foremost Buddhist establishment in Shanghai, due partly to its being the site of the Shanghai Buddhist Seminary and partly to its possession of a collection of different versions of the Tripitaka. During Buddhist festivals and the Lunar Chinese New Year, tens of thousands of pilgrims arrive to burn incense sticks and do devotionals. No Buddhist visitor leaves Shanghai without going to this temple. Food lovers, too, take great fancy in this temple, which operates a restaurant that serves all sorts of vegetarian’s delicacies.