The Longhua Temple (Chinese: 龙华寺; Hanyu Pinyin: Lónghúa Sì, literally "Lustre of the Dragon Temple") is a Buddhist Temple dedicated to the Maitreya Buddha in Shanghai Municipality, China. Although most of the present-day buildings date from later reconstructions, the temple preserves the architectural design of a Song Dynasty monastery of the Buddhist Chan sect. It is the largest, most authentic and complete ancient temple complex in the city of Shanghai.
Building history
Longhua Temple inner courtyard.
The temple was first build in 242 AD, during the Three Kingdoms Period. According to a legend, Sun Quan, King of the Kingdom of Wu, had obtained multi-colored stones which were believed to have been formed out of the ashes of Buddha's cremated body. To house these precious relics, the king ordered the construction of 13 pagodas. Longhua Pagoda (Longhua Ta), part of the Longhua temple complex, is said to have been one of them. Like the function of the pagoda, the name of the temple also has its origin in a local legend according to which a dragon once appeared on the site.
The temple was destroyed by war towards the end of the Tang Dynasty and rebuild in 977 AD, during the Northern Song Dynasty. Later in the Song Dynasty, in 1064, it was renamed Kong Xiang Temple, but the original name Longhua Temple was restored in the Ming Dynasty during the reign of the Wanli Emperor.
The present architectural design follows the Song Dynasty original. However, whereas the core of the present Longhua Pagoda is original to this period, most buildings in the temple proper were carried out in a reconstruction effort undertaken during the reigns of the Tongzhi Emperor and the Guangxu Emperor in the Qing Dynasty. A modern restoration of the entire temple complex was carried out in 1954.
The temple and monastery were originally surrounded by extensive gardens and orchards. Viewing of the peach blossom in the Longhua gardens was an annual attraction for people in surrounding cities. These gardens have since been entirely absorbed into the neighbouring Longhua Martyrs Cemetery and have been extensively reconstructed in a contemporary monumental style.
Architectural design and artwork
Statues of the 500 Lohan.
The Longhua Temple occupies an area of more than 20,000 square metres, the main axis of the compound has a length of 194 metres. The tallest structure is the Longhua Pagoda, it stands 40.4 metres high.
The layout of the temple is that of a Song Dynasty monastery of the Buddhist Chan sect, know as the Sangharama Five-Hall Style. Five main halls are arranged along a central axis north-south pointing axis. The halls are: the Maitreya Hall (Mile Dian), the Heavenly King Hall (Tianwang Dian), the Grand Hall of the Great Sage (Daxiong Baodian), the Three Sages Hall (San Sheng Dian), and the Abbot's Hall (Fangzhang Shi). A Bell and a Drum Tower are arranged off the central axis.
The Bell Tower houses a copper bell cast in 1382, the bell is 2 metres tall, has a maximum diametre of 1.3 metres, and weighs five tons. The bell is used in the Evening Bell-Striking Ceremony conducted on New Year's Eve.
Artworks in the temple include statues of the Maitreya Buddha in his Bodhisattva form and in his Cloth Bag Monk incarnation, statues of the 18 arhats and 20 Guardians of Buddhist Law, as well as statues of the 500 Lohan.
The temple grounds also contain a small traditional garden.
Site history
The temple grounds have been used as a site for internment as well as for executions. Public executions were held on the site in the 19th century. In 1927, the Kuomintang carried out a purge of suspected communists in Shanghai. Thousands of victims of this purge were brought to the temple grounds to be executed. They are commemorated today by the Longhua Martyrs Cemetery behind the temple. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese operated their largest civilian internment camp in the area, where American, British, as well as nationals of other allied countries were held under poor conditions.
Longhua pagoda
Longhua Pagoda (Longhua Ta).
The Longhua Pagoda is the only remaining pagoda in Shanghai city. It has an octagonal floor layout. The size of the seven storeys decreases from the bottom to the top. The pagoda consists of a hollow, tube-like brick core surrounded by a wooden staircase. On the outside, it is decorated with balconies, banisters, and upturned eaves. These outer decorations have been reconstructed in keeping with the original style.
Because of its age, the pagoda is fragile and is not open to the public.
Temple fair
The Longhua Temple Fair has been held since the Ming Dynasty period on the third day of the third month of the Lunar Calendar, the on which - according to the local legend - the dragons visit the temple to help grant the people's wishes. It coincides with the blossoming of the peach trees in Longhua Park. Since its inception, the fair has been an annual event interrupted only by the Cultural Revolution and the SARS outbreak.
Location
The Longhua Temple is located on the western bank of the Huangpu River, in the Longhua district of Shanghai (named after the temple). Its street address is No. 2853 Longhua Road (Longhua Lu). It is open to the public.
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