Chenxiang Pavilion

Shanghai Chenxiang Pavilion is one of the 5 famous Buddhist Temples in Shanghai together with the Jade Buddha Temple, the Longhua Temple, the Jing’an Temple and the Yuan and Ming Lecture Hall, located in No. 29, on the Chenxiang Pavilion Road in Huangpu District of Shanghai, which was built in the 28th year (1,600 A.D) during the period of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1,368 A.D.-1,644 A.D.) and rebuilt in the 21st (1,815 A.D.) year during the reign of Emperor Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty (1,616 A.D.-1,911 A.D.) with its name of Ciyun Buddhism Temple, the officials in Shanghai always celebrated in the pavilion when it was the birthday of the Emperor in the Qing Dynasty (1,616 A.D.-1,911 A.D.) before the construction of the Wanshou Palace in Shanghai. And it was considered as the key temple for the Han Nationality people by the State Council in 1983. The architectures in the pavilion are very magnificent and solemn in a classical style.

The main features of Shanghai Chenxiang Pavilion

Shanghai Chenxiang Pavilion is the only one temple where the statue of Kwan-yin is enshrined, covering an area of 159 hectares (1,901,624 square yards) in all, the whole temple can be divided into three sections: the front section, the middle section and the back section, among which the front section includes the archway and the Maitreya Palace on the central line of the temple, with the inscription “Chenxiang Pavilion” hanging over the archway. There are the Heavenly King Palace, the Daxiong Palace and the Kwan-yin Pavilion in the middle section, and the statues of Maitreya and the four Heavenly Kings e are decorated with fine gold in the Heavenly King Palace, which is believed in Buddhism that the four Heavenly Kings can protect the human beings and promise a good harvest. The statue of Vairochana Buddha is enshrined in the middle of the Daxiong Palace with the statues of Manjusri Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra, Mahabrahma Bodhisattva and Sahasrajna Bodhisattva standing on each side respectively. On the ceiling of the Daxiong Hall, there are 348 statues of the Buddha surrounding Vairochana Buddha. There are 18 arhats standing on each side of the altar. The Kwan-yin Pavilion is very delicate and elegant with the flying eaves and circle angles, where the one-meter (3 feet) high statue of Kwan-yin is enshrined in a meditating look. In the back section of the pavilion is a yard. It attracts thousands of Buddhism disciples and the visitors to come here for worshipping every year.

Getting there:

It is located in No. 29, on the Chenxiang Pavilion Road in Huangpu District of Shanghai, and you can take a bus No. 932, 569, 801, 920, 926, 930, 66 and 929 to get there directly. it is open to the public from 5:00 am to 5:00 pm every day.