Showing 1-16 of 16 results
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Baiyun Temple
Relocated from southwest of the Old Town, the port-red Taoist Baiyun (White Cloud) Temple stands separated from Dajing Pavilion by Dajing Lane and fronted by a twin-eaved entrance. Though nowhere near as big as its Běijīng namesake, the temple is worth a peek for its colossal effigy of the Jade Emperor (Yùhuáng Dàdì) up the steps in the Xiaobao Hall (Xiāobǎo Diàn), seated between two walls studded with smaller deities.
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Chenxiangge Nunnery
Sheltering a community of around 40 dark-brown clothed nuns from the chénhǎi (Sea of Dust) - what Buddhists call the mortal world, but which could equally refer to Shanghai's murky atmosphere - this gorgeous yellow-walled temple is a tranquil portal to a devout existence far from the city's frantic temporal realm.
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Community Church
Shanghai's largest and most popular church, this non-denominational ivy-cloaked church was flung up in 1924. There are no cheesy Chinese Catholic frills and the church lawn is a gorgeous expanse of green, while the lush tangle of plant life adds to the sense of pleasant refuge. Services are held regularly ( & on Sundays).
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Confucian Temple
Most historic Chinese towns worth their salt boast a temple dedicated to Confucius, although the iconoclastic spasms of the Cultural Revolution left many battered and bruised. A modest and pretty retreat, this well-tended temple to the dictum-coining sage is cultivated with acers, pines, magnolias and birdsong.
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Dongjiadu Cathedral
Just outside the Old Town, this magnificent and now restored cathedral is Shanghai's oldest church, built by Spanish Jesuits in 1853. A splendid sight, the church was located within a famously Catholic area of Shanghai and is generally open if you want to view the interior.
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Fazangjiang Temple
This simple, recently restored but active temple is curiously accessed from the west rather than the south, where the entrance to Buddhist temples usually lies. The main hall, restored with new doors, encloses a large modern statue of Sakyamuni, seated lily-top between two walls glinting with gilded luóhàn (arhat).
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Jade Buddha Temple
Built between 1911 and 1918 in Song dynasty style, this active place of worship is one of Shanghai's few Buddhist temples. But the large numbers of tourists it attracts make contemplation difficult. The centrepiece of the temple is its 1.9m-high pale-green jade Buddha
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Jing'an Temple
The Jing'an Temple (Temple of Tranquillity) was originally built in AD 247 but was largely destroyed in 1851. Khi Vehdu, who ran the Jing'an Temple in the 1930s, was one of the most remarkable figures of the time. The nearly 2m-tall abbot had a large following and each of his seven concubines had a house and a car. The temple was shorn of its Buddhist statues in the Cultural Revolution and turned into a plastics factory.
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Longhua Temple & Pagoda
Southwest of central Shanghai, close to the river, this is the oldest and largest monastery in Shanghai. Said to date from the 10th century, it has been much renovated. Lónghuá refers to the pipal tree under which Buddha achieved enlightenment.
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Ohel Moishe Synagogue
This synagogue was built by the Russian Ashkenazi Jewish community in 1927 and lies in the heart of the 1940s Jewish ghetto. At the time of writing it was closed for restoration. The restoration is being done in conjunction with the Israeli Consulate, which should guarantee some authenticity. There'll be a small museum as well.
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Peach Garden Mosque
Originally dating to 1917, this famous mosque is the city's main place of worship for Shanghai's Muslims. If you come on a Friday at lunch time you'll see the faithful streaming in to pray.
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Qinci Yangdian Temple
Shanghai's largest Taoist temple is, perhaps surprisingly, located in Pǔdōng. It's worth a perusal for its massive trinity of Taoist gods in the Hall of the Three Clear Ones (三清殿; Sānqīng Diàn), although the temple architecture is all recent (at the southern end of the temple grounds are what appears to be older, semi-destroyed temple halls).
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Russian Orthodox Mission Church
Built in 1934, the lovely blue-domed church was built for the huge influx of Russian worshippers to Shanghai in the 1930s. The Grape Restaurant is adjacent to the church.
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St Ignatius Cathedral
South west of the Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei, the dignified twin-spired St Ignatius Cathedral (1904) is a major Xújiāhuì landmark, its ecclesiastical form reflected in much of the local architecture. The cruciform-shaped church is a twin-spired, red brick church with two belfries and a statue of Christ above the door, flanked by the four apostles.
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St Nicholas Church
A short walk west along Gaolan Rd from Fuxing Park is rewarded by the distinctive shape of the vacant and now derelict St Nicholas Church, one of Shanghai's small band of Russian Orthodox houses of worship, built to service the huge influx of Russians who arrived in Shanghai in the 1930s.
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Temple of the Town Gods
Chinese towns traditionally came with a Taoist Temple of the Town Gods, but many fell victim to periodic upheaval. Originally dating to the early 15th century, this particular temple was badly damaged during the Cultural Revolution and later restored.
Showing 1-16 of 16 results
