The Jade Buddha Temple
Do you want to see monks during your vacation in Shanghai? You should visit the Jade Buddha Temple where a good number of resident monks live and work. It is also where you will see a 1.9-meter-high white jade, Buddha.
The temple features the style of the Song Dynasty and was built between 1911 and 1918. It has bright saffron yellow walls, symmetrical courtyards and halls, and upturned eaves. To say that it's readily identifiable is an understatement. It's a sight to behold.
The seated jewel-encrusted Buddha housed within is the temple's centerpiece. It was in 1882 when the Buddha was brought from Burma to Zhejiang Province, which leaves anyone wondering how this was accomplished, considering that it weighs about one thousand kilograms.
There are other Buddhas in the temple too—a reclining Buddha on a redwood bed and three gold-plated Buddhas. There are some 7,000 Buddhist sutras and ferocious-looking deities as well.
If you happen to be vegan, you'd be happy to know that the Jade Buddha Temple has a vegetarian restaurant where you can sample cuisines cooked using a combination of the culinary system of Buddhist temples and the cooking techniques used to make Shanghai cuisine.
Let LaVacanza take you to the Jade Buddha Temple for a spiritual experience.