Our answer
Shanghai’s temple of the jade Buddhas 玉佛禅寺
A working Chan monastery in Putuo district, home to a 1.95 m seated jade Buddha and a reclining jade Buddha
The short answer
The Jade Buddha Temple (玉佛禅寺, Yùfó Chán Sì) is a working Chan Buddhist monastery at 170 Anyuan Road, Putuo district, Shanghai, founded in 1882 to house jade Buddhas brought from Burma (Myanmar). Visit for the 1.95 m seated jade Buddha, the reclining jade Buddha and a busy city temple near Jiangning Road metro station.
| In Chinese | 玉佛禅寺 (Yùfó Chán Sì), ‘Jade Buddha Chan (Zen) Temple’; often just 玉佛寺 |
|---|---|
| Where | 170 Anyuan Road (安远路), Putuo district, Shanghai |
| Founded | 1882, by the monk Huigen of Mount Putuo; on its present site since a rebuilding begun in 1918 |
| Known for | A seated jade Buddha 1.95 m high and a 96 cm reclining jade Buddha, both of Burmese jade |
| Getting there | Jiangning Road station, Metro Line 13, about 500 m away; the temple has no car park |
| Tickets | Buy only at the temple’s own ticket office; a ticket is valid for one day (temple website) |
History: from Burma to Anyuan Road
The temple began with a pilgrimage. Huigen (慧根), a monk from Mount Putuo, travelled to Mount Wutai and Mount Emei, then by way of Tibet to India, and in Burma (now Myanmar) was given white jade statues of the Buddha Shakyamuni by local devotees and overseas Chinese. The temple’s own history says he received five; two, a seated Buddha and a reclining Buddha, stayed in Shanghai, and the other three went to Mount Putuo.
In 1882, the eighth year of the Guangxu emperor, the jade Buddhas were enshrined in a thatched hall at Zhanghuabang, on the city’s outskirts. In 1900 a temple was built for them near Jiangwan railway station, the first to bear the name Jade Buddha Temple. In 1918 the fourth abbot, Kecheng, chose a new site on Anyuan Road; building took about ten years, and the temple was renamed 玉佛禅寺, the Jade Buddha Chan Temple.
The temple has since become an important centre of Chinese Buddhism. The eminent monk Taixu died here in 1947, and the Shanghai Institute of Buddhism was set up at the temple in 1983. In a restoration completed around 2018, the whole Mahavira Hall was moved 30.66 m north, doubling the size of the square in front of it. For how temples like this are laid out, see our guide to Chinese Buddhist temples.[1][2][3]
What to see at the Jade Buddha Temple
The halls run from south to north, with the jade Buddhas towards the back.[1][3][4]
| Hall | What is inside |
|---|---|
| Hall of Heavenly Kings (天王殿) | At the front: Maitreya as the Laughing Buddha, the guardian Weituo and the Four Heavenly Kings. |
| Guanyin Hall (观音殿) | A new hall between the Hall of Heavenly Kings and the Mahavira Hall, built in the restoration of around 2018, with new bell and drum towers on either side. |
| Mahavira Hall (大雄宝殿) | The main hall: three golden Buddhas (Shakyamuni in the centre, Amitabha and the Medicine Buddha at the sides), 20 gilded devas and 18 golden arhats. A large golden Guanyin stands at its north entrance. |
| Jade Buddha Chamber | On the upper floor at the back: the seated jade Shakyamuni, 1.95 m high and weighing about 3 tonnes. |
| Reclining Buddha Hall (卧佛殿) | The small reclining jade Buddha, 96 cm long and carved from a single piece of Burmese jade, which shows the Buddha at his death; and a much larger reclining Buddha, 4 m long, carved from a single block of white marble and donated from Singapore. |
| Sutra library (藏经楼) | Keeps a complete set of the Qing-dynasty Buddhist canon, the Dragon Canon (龙藏). |
Festivals, customs and vegetarian food
This is a working monastery with a full calendar. The temple holds more than 30 Dharma assemblies a year, among them the Water and Land assembly (水陆法会) and the Ullambana, or Orchid Basin, assembly (盂兰盆法会). It also runs meditation sessions, sutra copying, Buddhist chant classes and evening Chan events, and monthly cultural lectures.
The temple is known in Shanghai for its vegetarian food. Its public restaurant serves bowls of noodles, double mushroom noodles (双菇面) being the favourite, and the temple has made vegetarian mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival for about 30 years. In 2019 it said its chefs were making about 70,000 a day in more than 20 flavours.[1][2][5]
How to visit the Jade Buddha Temple
- 1
Get there by metro
Take Line 13 to Jiangning Road station; the temple is about 500 m away at 170 Anyuan Road. Many bus routes stop nearby, but there is no car park.
- 2
Buy your ticket at the temple
The temple asks visitors to buy tickets only at its own ticket office and not from anyone else. A ticket is valid for one day.
- 3
Leave lighters at home
The temple asks visitors not to bring inflammable materials inside.
- 4
Save the jade Buddhas for last
Walk from the Hall of Heavenly Kings through the Guanyin and Mahavira halls to the jade Buddhas at the back, then try the vegetarian noodles.
- 5
See the other city temples
Shanghai’s other big city temples are Jing’an Temple and Longhua Temple. Our Shanghai temples page lists more.
Questions readers ask
Why is it called the Jade Buddha Temple?
Because it was founded to house Buddha statues carved from jade, brought from Burma (Myanmar) by the monk Huigen. Two are in the temple today: a seated Buddha 1.95 m high and a reclining Buddha 96 cm long.
How old is the Jade Buddha Temple?
The jade Buddhas were first enshrined in Shanghai in 1882. The temple moved to its present site on Anyuan Road in a rebuilding that began in 1918 and took about ten years.
How many jade Buddhas are there?
Two from Burma: one seated and one reclining. The temple’s history says Huigen was given five, and the other three went to Mount Putuo. A larger reclining Buddha in the same hall is white marble, not jade.
How do I get to the Jade Buddha Temple?
Take Shanghai Metro Line 13 to Jiangning Road station, about 500 m from the temple at 170 Anyuan Road, Putuo district. There is no car park.
Do you need a ticket for the Jade Buddha Temple?
Yes. Buy it only at the temple’s own ticket office, not from touts; a ticket is valid for one day.
Is the Jade Buddha Temple a working temple?
Yes. It is an active Chan monastery that holds more than 30 Dharma assemblies a year and runs meditation and sutra-copying sessions.
Can you eat at the Jade Buddha Temple?
Yes. Its public vegetarian restaurant is known for noodles, especially double mushroom noodles, and the temple makes vegetarian mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Jade Buddha Temple · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai (official site), Introduction · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Jade Buddha Temple (official site), 玉佛春秋 (history, in Chinese) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Jade Buddha Temple (official site), 参访指南 (visitor guide and halls, in Chinese) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
- Shanghai Today (Shanghai Municipal Government Information Office), Jade Buddha Temple vegetarian mooncakes (8 August 2019) · accessed 1 Nov 2026
Update log. 1 November 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 1 February 2027. Suggest a correction