September 11, 2011
Although we have been in Shanghai for over 6 months, we had not visited any of the Temples here… I think it is probably past due. Jason was curious about them… so we picked a couple and made plans to hit the Temples in the morning and then the Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum in the afternoon. I had not been to a wax museum since I was a kid. That was the plan for the day!
We were up and out of the apartment by 9am for a full day of activities. Fortunately, we could take the subway to every destination for today, then only short walks.
Jing’An Temple was first up. Both of the Temples we were visiting are active Buddhist Temples. We would have access to much of the Temples, but there were still a good bit we would not be allowed to see. The incense was thick in the air.
The temples are located in the midst of the city. It is so strange being in a Temple steeped in history and yet just over the roof tops are sky scrapers towering over.
A little history… It is said that it was built in the 10th year of chiwu, the eastern Wu Dynasty in the Three Kingdoms (247 bc) and relocated to its present location in the 9th year of south song emperor's jiading era (1216 bc). It has been restored several times since the Yuan Dynasty and was finally destroyed in taipingtianguo with only dafou hall left. In 1921, the hall of the three saints was added and the present scale came into being gradually. In 1999, the temple was renovated on a large scale and it became more charming. Jingan temple loosely translates to mean: the hall of heavenly kings, the hall of the three saints, the hall of virtuous works and the Abbot's Chambers. Zhenyanzong(a school of Buddhism) forums are held in the Abbot's chambers upstairs, there are 5 such meetings held each year. as well, there is the memorial hall of master dadechisong of the Zhenyanzong and some historic relics like stele with inscription of Guangzong emperor of the Song Dynasty and bell of the second year of Hongwu.
The buildings are built of teak, with marble and granite. The carvings in the teak are intricate and magnificent. It is amazing craftsmanship.
Onward to the Jade Buddhist Temple… which was a bit trickier to find, but our determination prevailed and we found it! This was a bit more of a tourist trap.
A little history… In the western part of Shanghai, a very modern and flourishing city, there is a venerable and famous Buddhist temple, Jade Buddha Temple. In 1882, an old temple was built to keep two jade Buddha statues which had been brought from Burma by a monk named Huigen. The temple was destroyed during the revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty. Fortunately the jade Buddha statues were saved and a new temple was built on the present site in 1928. It was named the Jade Buddha Temple.
The two precious jade Buddhist statues are not only rare cultural relics but also porcelain artworks. Both the Sitting Buddha and the Recumbent Buddha are carved with whole white jade. The sparkling and crystal-clear white jade gives the Buddha’s the beauty of sanctity and makes them more vivid. The Sitting Buddha is 190 centimeters high and encrusted by the agate and the emerald, portraying the Buddha at the moment of his meditation and enlightenment. The Recumbent Buddha is 96 centimeters long, lying on the right side with the right hand supporting the head and the left hand placing on the left leg, this shape is called the 'lucky repose'. The sedate face shows the peaceful mood of Sakyamuni when he left this world. In the temple there is also another Recumbent Buddha which is four meters long and was brought from Singapore by the tenth abbot of the temple in 1989. Furthermore there are many other ancient paintings and Buddhist scriptures distributed in the different halls of the temple.
The main green jade Buddha was in a building all by itself… and there were no cameras allowed.
It is said that if you rub the tummy of this happiness budda, you will have good luck and happiness… I will let you know how that worked out for me!
We were told that this carving took 7 years to complete... that is determination!!!
Now back to People’s Square and the wax museum. I will just include a few pictures we snapped while there. Hope you enjoy.
With Madame herself!!!!
We wrapped up the museum with 'Breakfast At Tiffany's' and Audrey Hepburn!!!
What a day! The guys just could not be in People Square and not hit the Hershey Store… They got their fix with a Hershey soft serve and I had a water. I was more interested in finding a place to sit down than having ice cream.
After a short rest, we boarded the subway and headed back across the river to Pudong… next stop was the Super Brands Mall. We are having dinner in the same dumpling place that I went with my friends from Bible Study. We ordered a variety of dumplings and chowed down. It was soooo yummy!!!
After a full day and now a full tummy… we were ready to get back to the apartment and relax. Of course the guys had only one thing on their minds…A NAP!!!!
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