“Six hundred sculptures? Really?” you might ask. Yes, inside the Shanghai Dongyue Temple, ten halls house no fewer than 600 sculptures. Prepare to be impressed.
Shanghai Dongyue Temple deserves a special place among the city’s religious buildings. It stands as one of Shanghai’s most significant religious and cultural landmarks. As the oldest Taoist temple in Shanghai, its history stretches back to the 3rd century A.D.
Sunquan of East Wu, a ruler from the Three Kingdoms period, originally built it. He built this temple for his mother. It served religious purposes for centuries. The temple was rebuilt in the 1770s. The present form dates from that time.
Dedicated to the Dongyue god, it’s also known as the Dongyue Palace. The Shanghai Dongyue Temple exemplifies Chinese architecture. Many interesting features await discovery within its walls.
Visiting the Shanghai Dongyue Temple is easy. No matter where you stay in Shanghai, accessibility is good. The admission fee is also quite low. That makes it a must-see destination.
The interior stuns visitors with its many statues. The precision of Chinese craftsmanship is well-known. These lifelike statues of gods will definitely impress you.
Thousands of pilgrims flock to the Shanghai Dongyue Temple during specific months. They come to pay homage to their god. These processions are extraordinary. You cannot see them in many places. They occur in September, July, April, and March of the lunar calendar. Also, they happen every 1st and 15th of the lunar month.
The main event occurs every 28th of March by the lunar calendar. This marks the birthday of Dongyue. An enormous number of pilgrims attend on that day. This makes the ceremony huge and very colourful.
You’ll find the Shanghai Dongyue Temple in Pudong. Its address is No.476 Yuanshen Road. Bus lines 791, 785, 778, 773, 772, 746, and 736 can take you there. The admission fee is RMB 5 per person. The best times to visit are March, April, July, September, and every 1st and 15th of the month.
Consider yourself transported back to the Northern Song Dynasty. Imagine the grand expansion during those early years. Picture prefect Liu Jinghong rebuilding and expanding the palace in 1492. See the reconstruction door by prefect Wanli Xu Lin. Envision the rebuilt hall with its hipped roof. Tim Yeung Hau temple was added too.
Unfortunately, after liberation, the temple suffered from a lack of maintenance. It was even slated for removal. In 1965, it was mostly demolished. Only two ancient ginkgo trees remained. Thankfully, recovery and reconstruction began in 2002. The project was completed in stages. The Shanghai Dongyue Temple opened to the world in 2006. Now, it enshrines Dongyuetaidi and HOU Yang Chao day statues. The Shanghai Taoist College is also located in the temple. Its walls whisper tales of centuries past.