Located
on the west bank of the
Huangpujiang River south
of Shanghai, they are a
famous attraction in
Shanghai.
Longhua Temple: Longhua
Temple, first built in
242 A.D during the Three
Kingdoms Period, is the
biggest and oldest
temple in Shanghai. The
temple was destroyed and
rebuilt for many times.
The present temple was
built during the reign
of Emperor Guangxu of
the Qing dynasty.
Splendidly constructed,
the temple, till today,
still keeps the original
feature of Buddhist "chan"
sect of the Song
dynasty. In the temple,
Buddhist scripture, gold
seals and Buddhist
statues of Tang, Ming
and Qing dynasties are
kept.
Longhua Pagoda: Standing
opposite the Longhua
temple, the pagoda,
according to historic
documents, was built as
early as the 3rd
century. The present
pagoda, which is
octagonal and
seven-storied with 40.64
meters in height, is the
restoration in 977.
Built of wood and
bricks, this pagoda,
with upturned eaves and
hanging bells in eaves’
corners, is the only
pagoda in Shanghai city.
Till today, the temple,
visited by large numbers
of monks and laymen each
day, is still
flourishing. At night on
every New Year eve the
ceremony of "Striking
the Longhua Evening
Bell" is conducted here
and is well known at
home and abroad. Each
time, large number of
people, Chinese as well
as foreign, come to
listen to the ringing of
the temple bell. |