Longhua Temple

Unclaimed

Longhua Temple: Easily accessible by metro from People’s Square Station, it’s just a short ride away. Upon exiting the metro, you’ll find a large shopping mall with numerous shops and restaurants to explore. The temple itself is serene and peaceful, known as the oldest temple in Shanghai, dating back to the Three Kingdoms period.

Free admission ? Beautiful in autumn ? We spend our peaceful to explore the Temple. Love vegan cafeteria there, reasonably priced and good taste.

Beautiful temple. Initially I thought you had to buy a ticket in order to enter, but I was able to enter the temple for free. Impressive halls and statues where many people come to pray. If you are not that familiar with Buddhism and the culture I suggest to do a little bit of research before visiting. Honestly I didn't really know, so I was very clueless what (and why) was happening. I wish I'd known at least a little bit about these traditions before going. There are quite a few animals roaming around as well.

Longhua Pagoda & Longhua Temple Located on the Longhua Road in Xuhui District, Longhua Park is famous for the ancient Longhua Temple, Longhua Pagoda, the Evening Bell-Striking Ceremony and the peach blossoms. 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. 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. The seven-storied, 40.4 meters high Longhua Pagoda stands in front of the Longhua Temple, the brick body and the wooden staircases make up its main structure. Each storey is smaller than the storey below, and all the levels are encircled by balconies and banisters. Bells on each corner of the octagonal eaves make cheerful and lively sounds as the wind passes by. The pagoda has been rebuilt several times, but the style of the Song Dynasty still remains to today. In late spring, when the peaches in Longhua Park are in full blossom and the temple fair (on the 3rd March, lunar calendar) is under way, large numbers of visitors and pilgrims will come and the Longhua Temple will become a place of great hustle and bustle. The whole courtyard was built strictly in the style of traditional Buddhist symmetry and it's in accordance with the Chinese concept of beauty.

It is said that Longhua Temple was built by Sun Quan for his mother during the Three Kingdoms period, more than 1,700 years ago. The architecture of Longhua Temple is the seven-hall system of the Song Dynasty. Longhua Pagoda is the only thousand-year-old pagoda in the center of Shanghai. It is known as the "crown of pagodas" in Shanghai and was once the commanding height of the Longhua area.