Jing’an Temple is the most famous attraction in Shanghai's Jing’an District. By the way, the district was named after the temple. This complex appeared before the city in which it is located. Founded in 247, (which is 1045 years before Shanghai officially appeared) it boasts an ancient and unique history.

Today, Jing’an Temple is located on the bustling and modern West Nanjing Road next to tall office buildings and huge shopping malls. The road to it can become an interesting journey. On the way, you will meet both young fashionistas hurrying shopping and gray-haired old women going to work.

The name of this complex is translated as the «Temple of Peace and Tranquility». However, today it is difficult to compare it with a quiet and secluded place for meditation as it’s always busy and crowded with tourists from all over the world.

The first thing that catches your eye when visiting Jing’an Temple is its magnificent traditional architecture, corresponding to Chinese Buddhist temples: golden-colored facades, sloping roofs with soaring edges, ascetic columns and arches, carved ornaments on the cornices, numerous sculptures, and bright red lanterns that are loved by many people. If there were not a large number of visitors, this nice and cozy place would definitely become an island of harmony, which is often missing on the streets of Shanghai.

The main territory of Jing’an Temple is occupied by 3 rooms: Hall of Heavenly Kings, Hall of Three Saints, and Hall of Virtuous Works. Each of them has its own patio area, and together they form the inner place of Shanghai. The architectural ensemble is completed by the Mahavira Hall, the Jade Buddha Hall, the Guanyin Hall with a six-meter figure of the goddess made of camphor wood – a rarity for Buddhist pagodas. There is even another monastery, but it’s impossible to get there. So you can only enjoy its facade’s view.

One of the best antiquities in Jing’an Temple is a copper bell weighing 3.5 tons. It was named after Hongwu – the first emperor of the Ming dynasty of China.