It was moved to Shanghai in 1918. The buildings of the architectural ensemble are built in the classical Chinese style: yellow ochre, typical of religious buildings on the lower reaches of the Yangtze. The temple features two jeweled Buddha statues carved from white jade imported from Burma.
The largest statue, 1.9 m high and weighing 1 tonne, is located on the first floor of the last building and traditionally unfolds on a north-south axis. The architectural ensemble of the Temple is completed by the Jade Buddha House. This two-storey structure simultaneously serves as a sutra repository, which befits a famous temple.
The Jade Buddha Temple is located in the north-west of Shanghai. It has become the most famous Buddhist temple in this city. Such high popularity of the temple is due to the incredible Buddha statue located on the topmost tier of the temple. This unique statue is made of a single piece of rare white jade.
The jade Buddha in a seated position is a monument to Buddhist sculpture. Its uniquely lively, gently patronising facial expression is superb. Carved from a solid single-coloured jade block, the statue is 1.92m high and 1.34m wide. All the precious stones on it, including the large ruby in the Buddha's forehead, were donated by followers of Buddhism. The cabinets along the walls hold 7,240 volumes of Buddhist literature, including the Dajangjiang sutra printed in 1870.
In addition, the temple has another unusual Buddha statue with smaller dimensions. It symbolises a reclining Buddha in a state of nirvana and is also made of light-coloured jade.
Since 1983, the temple building is still used as the Shanghai Institute of Buddhism. That is why seminars, lectures and other classes on Buddhism are constantly held here.
For all visitors on the territory of the temple is open a fine restaurant, where you can order local specialities. In addition to the restaurant, you can visit the souvenir shop. There are various jade products and small interesting souvenirs.
When visiting the temple, tourists should be aware that it is strictly forbidden to take photos on its territory.
