Brief information on Longhua Temple 
There are several well-known temples in Shanghai. Among them, the largest and oldest is the Longhua Temple. Located in the southwest of the city, the temple complex sprawls over 20,000 square meters and was first built in 242 AD. It has been destroyed and rebuilt over the years, but the ancient architectural style has been preserved.
The Longhua pagoda, which stands at 40 metres with seven stories, is also part of the complex. It has a core that has been preserved from when it was first built but the pagoda is now too old and fragile for visitors to scale.
Since the Ming dynasty, Longhua has hosted a temple fair in late spring on the third day of the third month according to the lunar calendar. This is the time when dragons are said to visit the temple and grant wishes to the faithful. In its present-day incarnation, the fair is a two-week affair with rows of makeshift stalls hawking snacks and knick knacks. There are also carnival games aplenty adding to the festive atmosphere. The fair coincides with the blooming of the peach blossoms, which is another noteworthy attraction of the temple grounds.
New Year’s Eve at the temple is similarly festive, when visitors swarm the grounds enjoying a host of games, traditional snacks, and other attractions. They come for the bell-ringing ceremony which is held during the crossover when benefactors of the temple get the chance to sound the 800-year-old copper bell ensconced in the bell tower. Performances from community groups, lion dances, fireworks, and other celebratory activities also liven up the event. Festivities began around late afternoon on New Year’s Eve and more and more visitors arrive in the night. By midnight, it’s almost impossible to walk around because of the size of the crowds.
Other times find thinner crowds at the temple, which makes it more conducive for exploration of the grounds, which has an axis of 194 metres and a symmetrical layout.
Right in the middle of the downtown area, Jing’An Temple is much smaller but no less popular. It was first built in 247 AD, but was moved to its current site in 1216. Despite the 30 yuan admission fee, its central location means it still gets pretty crowded especially in the weekends.
The temple has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. It looks rather new as the current structures were constructed in the 1980s and had just been extensively renovated just a couple of years ago. The oldest artifact here is perhaps the Hongwu bell, a copper bell cast in the Ming Dynasty. Jing’An Temple is home to the largest jade statue of Sakyamuni in China, measuring almost 3.8 metres in height, 2.6 metres across, and weighing over a tonne at 11,000 kg. The figurine is located in the Mahavira Hall at the centre of the temple grounds.
An annual temple fair is also held here in late spring, in the fourth month of the lunar calendar. But it is a much smaller event than the one at Longhua Temple.
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