The pagoda is the most impressive structure in the whole area. A small traditional garden remains immediately adjacent to the temple buildings. Longhua Temple is the oldest temple in Shanghai, dating back to over 1,700 years. Are you planning to travel to the Longhua temple? It is the largest, most authentic and complete ancient temple complex in the city of Shanghai. The history is about 900 years old, but most of the historians claim for 1800 years. In Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of the book, the pagoda is clearly visible above the prison camp. It’s historical. It has beautiful architecture. The Three Sages Hall (三聖殿) houses statues of the Amitabha buddha, and the Bodhisattvas Avalokiteśvara (male form) and Mahāsthāmaprāpta. 2853 Longhua Road (Longhua Lu). The present architectural design follows the Song dynasty (960–1279) original. The Longhua Martyrs Cemetery in Shanghai is a memorial to those who died under the regime of the Kuomintang, led by Chiang Kai-shek. The pagoda was restored under an imperial edict during the Chuigong era (678) of the Tangdynasty , but it was burnt down again during the Huang Chao peasant uprising in the first year of the Guangming era (… The bell rang around 108 times to prevent the 108 misfortunes. So if you plan to travel to the temple, make sure that it’s not Golden week or any other Chinese event. 618 – 907: The current scale of the temple was set during the Tang Dynasty In order, the five buildings are the Maitreya Hall (Mile Dian), the Emperor of Heaven Hall (Tianwang Dian), the Grand Hall of the Great Sage (Daxiong Baodian), the Three Sages Hall (Sansheng Dian), and the Abbot's Hall (Fangzhang Shi). The Longhua Temple in Shanghai is a Buddhist monastery dating back to 977AD, although a temple has existed on the site since 687 AD. Built in 242 AD, it is the oldest temple in Shanghai with a long history of over 1700 years. Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. Longhua Temple 龙华寺 and Pagoda was first built around 242 A.D. and is the oldest temple complex in Shanghai. Finally, a complex-wide restoration was undertaken in 1954. In 1927, the Kuomintang carried out a purge of suspected communists in Shanghai. To house these precious relics, the king ordered the construction of 13 pagodas. At the end of Tang’s reign, the great temple was demolished and reconstructed in 977AD (in the Song dynasty). The Mahavira Hall is the main hall, housing statues of the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni) and two disciples. Shanghai’s Longhua temple, a Buddhist temple with a large native religious population, belongs to the Chan sect of Mahayana Buddhism. As the largest of Shanghai’s temples, it is a popular site together with its pagoda and nineteenth century bell. The Longhua Temple is the largest temple in Shanghai, and the pagoda is the only one in Shanghai that existed before modern times. Whether you are looking for fun with friends or a family trip to a peaceful place, this temple is perfect. On the 1st and 15th of the 1st lunar month, the opening hours are 5 am to 4:30 pm. Travel, Dining, Nightlife, Jobs, Classifieds, Events,Business Reviews, things in Shanghai, 11 reasons why you should go to visit Longhua temple shanghai, 13 Best Nightlife Places in Found 158 Shanghai, 5 Cost-effective Ways to Travel With Pets, Experience The Coolest Motorcycle Sidecar Tour in Shanghai, Daily Happy hour buy one get one free on Draft Beer @Windows Scoreboard, 5 WeChat Mini-Apps that might actually improve life, How To Find a 24-Hour Laundromat Near Me Shanghai. Like the function of the pagoda, the name of the temple also has its origin in a local legend according to which a dragon once appeared on the site. According to a legend, Sun Quan, King of the Kingdom of Wu (222–280), had obtained Sharira relics, which are cremated remains of the Buddha. However, in 1927, the Kuomintang nationalists held a mass execution of the communists’ temple ground. The 40-meter-tall pagoda was rebuilt in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). (According to another version of the story, as contained in Song (960–1279) and Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) local histories, the temple was first built by the King of Wuyue.) The temple has a long history, but how long? Longhua Pagoda (Longhua Ta), part of the Longhua temple complex, is said to have been one of them. The temple's extensive gardens have since been almost entirely absorbed into the neighboring Longhua Martyrs' Cemetery and have been extensively reconstructed in a contemporary monumental style. The bell is used in the Evening Bell-Striking Ceremony conducted on New Year's Eve. Legend has it that Sun Quan, King of the Kingdom of Wu, got hold of some of the cremated remains of the Buddha. It is well maintained. Because of the several destructions by the wars, most of the buildings here were reconstructed during the reign of the Emperor Tongzhi and Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty. Thousands of victims of this purge were brought to the temple grounds to be executed. It is a very old temple of Buddha. The bell-ringing ceremony is held at midnight on Chinese New Year Eve in the famous Longhua Temple. Let’s see. Booking the tour ahead of time can secure your time at the spot. Later in the Song dynasty, in 1064, it was renamed "Kongxiang Temple" (空相寺), but the original name "Longhua Temple" was restored in the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) during the reign of the Wanli Emperor (1573–1620). Pay a visit to Longhua Temple, a complex known for its ancient seven-story pagoda. The history is about 900 years old, but most of the historians claim for 1800 years. Some claim that this is the date the temple was originally built, but no one knows for sure. The layout of the temple is that of a Song dynasty monastery of the Buddhist Chan sect, known as the Sangharama Five-Hall Style. The temple was first built in 242 AD, during the Three Kingdoms Period (220–165). The entire temple can be easily visited during the daily tour hours of 7 am to 4:30 pm. The Abbot's Hall (方丈室) is a place for lectures and formal meetings. Because of its age, the pagoda is fragile and is not open to the public.[1]. Easily accessible by Metro. Well, if yes, then for any tour guide, you contact us through the comment section below. The temple grounds have been used as a site for internment as well as for executions. It’s an art historian paradise. The pagoda consists of a hollow, tube-like brick core surrounded by a wooden staircase. Take a break in a traditional tea house. The temple has a long history, but how long? Around the front portion are arranged the twenty Guardians of Buddhist Law, and around the back the sixteen principal arhats. © 2019 Enjoy Shanghai | All Rights Reserved. Although most of the present day buildings date from later reconstructions, the temple preserves the architectural design of a Song dynasty (960–1279) monastery of the Chan School. The temple had been built in the Song Dynasty. A modern restoration of the entire temple complex was carried out in 1954. The tallest structure is the Longhua Pagoda which stands 40.4 meters (132 ft 7 in) high. For greater than 20 years, the temple has been a tourist point. People has great respect for the temple. It is well maintained. The Longhua Pagoda is best well-known of the 16 historic pagodas that still stand within the Shanghai municipality. 2853 Longhua Road (Longhua Lu), which is the oldest, largest and most majestic Buddhist building in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River Delta. He had 13 pagodas built to house … In the 1920’s and 1930’s, the site of the Longhua Martyrs Cemetery was a Kuomintang prison where hundreds of communists were executed in an attempt to obliterate the communist movement. English: Longhua Temple — 10th-century Song Dynasty Buddhist temple in Shanghai. Buddhist music and folk art performances are also performed in this house of worship every year. First built in 242 AD, which is during the period of the Three Kingdoms, Longhua Temple is the oldest temple in Shanghai for its long history of over 1,700 years. [1], The temple was first built in 242 AD, during the Three Kingdoms Period (220–165). [citation needed], Learn how and when to remove this template message, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch, short article in "The Economist" (site history), Longhua Monastery, Architectura Sinica Site Archive, National Key Buddhist Temples in Han Chinese Area, Template:Venerable Master of the Buddhist Association of China, Standard Design for Buddhist Temple Construction, First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai International Studies University, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Longhua_Temple&oldid=994436923, Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Shanghai, Articles needing additional references from January 2010, All articles needing additional references, Articles containing traditional Chinese-language text, Articles containing simplified Chinese-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2010, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2015, Articles containing Chinese-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 15 December 2020, at 18:44. 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