How to visit and what to see at the Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai

One of the must-sees in your trip to shanghai en China is Jade Buddha Temple.

In this Budhist temple relatively modern, as it was built between 1911 and 1918, which continues to be the headquarters of a community made up of about 70 monks.

El Jade Buddha Temple Don't expect to find it in a historic area of ​​the city.

On the other hand, its location is in the western area of ​​the Shanghai, in the middle of a modern neighborhood and surrounded by large residential skyscrapers,. specifically in 170 Anyuan Rd.

Su traditional chinese architecture, with a profusion of the striking red color, and its ornate decoration, makes it a very attractive place to visit.

How to fly to Shanghai

In the case of my trip to China, from Madrid I flew to Shanghai with KLM, with the advantage of stopping at one of the most pleasant airports in Europe, that of Schiphol in Amsterdam.

This flight will take you to Beijing in a Boeing 787-900, where you will complete the trip to Shanghai in a connection with the company China Eastern.

You also have the option to fly to Shanghai with Air France, with stops in Paris and Beijing, and aboard a Boeing 777-300ER. 

What to see in Jade Buddha Temple

The origins of the Jade Buddha Temple They date back to 1882, when from Myanmar, a country formerly known as Burma, two Buddha statues made of jade were brought to Shanghai by a Buddhist monk.

sitting buddha

The most notable is a sitting buddha, a figure almost two meters high, inlaid with agates and emeralds, and weighing more than a ton.

This figure is located in a very isolated room, so you will find the most spectacular part of your visit to this Buddhist temple in its large halls.

The other figure is a reclining jade buddha just under a meter long.

You can find the seated Buddha on the second floor, in an interior room dedicated to him, inside a glass urn, and taking photographs is prohibited.

At Jade Buddha Temple there's also another statue of a reclining Buddha larger than the one mentioned above.

It is four meters long and was brought in 1989 from Singapore by a temple abbot.

But apart from these Jade figures, in the different halls of the temple you can see numerous other figures, such as those found in the Big room and in the Chamber of the Four Divine Kings.

Divine Kings Chamber

As you enter the enclosure, to the left and on the south side of it, in front of the temple itself, is the Chamber of Divine Kings, where you will find four great Buddhist figures that represent different favorable circumstances.

But it is in the same building Jade Buddha Temple, in the Big room, where we will be impressed by the numerous and enormous Buddhist figures and the grandeur of the decoration, always dominated by the characteristic red color.

Golden Buddhas

The most spectacular are, without a doubt, the three golden buddhas, which represent the Buddhas “gautama🇧🇷Amitabha"And"bhaisajyaguru".

Although the 18” also catches our attentionArhats” of gold located in two rows, and the set of figures of “Guanyin" Y "Shen Cai” and its 53 teachers.

In short, a visit that is totally worth it and that allows us to see the grandeur that Buddhist temples can have, but in a very different way than what we are used to with Christian churches and cathedrals.

Jade Buddha Temple Schedule

El Shanghai Jade Buddha Temple visiting hours It is from 8,30:17 a.m. to XNUMX p.m., and the visit can take you an hour.

El price of admission It is 20 yuan, 2,4 euros (2017), although to access the room where the figure of the seated jade Buddha is located, you have to pay an additional 10 yuan, 1,20 euros.