Shanghai is the largest as well as the most
developed city in China and has a population of close to 23 million. Shanghai
is located at the mouth of Yangtze River and is a major financial center of
China. This city has lots of visitor attractions as it has lots of historical
landmarks. Shanghai is nicknamed as “showpiece” of China.
City
God Temple
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| One of the altars of the City God Temple, Shanghai Image courtesy |
City God Temple also called as “Chenghuang
Miao” is not only a huge temple complex, but also a place where you will find
lots of shops selling almost every traditional product of China. This temple
was constructed to dedicate for Jinshan or the “Gold Mountain.” The temple has
three main deities called Huo Gang (a famous Han dynasty emperor), Qin Yubo
(who served in Yuan Dynasty) and Chen Huacheng (a Qing Dynasty general). The
famous Yuyuan Garden of Shanghai is connected with the City God Temple.
Jade
Buddha Temple
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| The front view of Jade Buddha Temple |
Jade Buddha Temple, one can know from the
name that it is a Buddhist temple was founded in 1882 and has 2 jade Buddha
statues; one statue is a sitting Buddha and the other one is a reclining Buddha
(a smaller statue). Reclining Buddha statue represents the death of Buddha. The
temple contains the following:
- Chamber of Heavenly Kings – contains statues of Wei Tuo, Bodhisattva, Maitreya and the Four Heavenly Kings.
- Grand Hall or Great Hall – contains 3 Golden Buddhas, 18 unique golden arhats, Gods of Twenty Heavens and Guanyin and Shen Cai with their 53 teachers.
- Jade Buddha Chamber, public restaurants and a Buddhist library.
Jing’an
Temple
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| The front view of Jing'an Temple Image courtesy |
Jing’an Temple is yet again a Buddhist
temple built in 247 AD. Jing’an means “Temple of Peace and Tranquility;” one
can surely experience this when visiting this famous Buddhist temple. The
temple was originally built beside Suzhou Creek; it was later moved to West
Nanjing Road (the current site). This temple has three main halls, jade Buddha
Hall with a jade Buddha statue, Abbot’s Chambers, a copper bell of Ming
Dynasty, etc. This temple is opened for visitors between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm
daily except on Buddhist holidays; an entrance fee is to be paid to visit the
temple.
Longhua
Temple
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| Longhua Temple, finest architectural example of Song Dynasty Image courtesy |
Longhua Temple is one of the finest
architectural examples of Song dynasty and is dedicated to Maitreya Buddha. It
is one of the city’s largest ancient temple complexes, which was constructed in
242 AD; there are various stories around the construction of the building.
There are various buildings inside the temple, which includes:
- Maitreya Hall with Maitreya Buddha statue
- Heavenly King Hall with Four Heavenly Kings statues
- Grand Hall with historical Buddha statue
- Three Stages Hall housing Amitabha Buddha, Buddhistava, and Mahasthamaprapta
- Abbot’s Hall
- Bell Tower
- Drum Tower
- Library consists of works of Buddha, his sutras, the ceremonial instruments, and various artifacts and antiques.
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| Jin Mao Tower, the fifth tallest building in the world by roof height |
Jin Mao Tower is an 88-storey skyscraper in
Shanghai city, China and is the worlds’ fifth tallest building by roof height.
This tower boasts of having Shanghai Grand Hyatt Hotel (occupies floors from 53
to 87) as its occupant. Jin Mao Tower is a must visit place if you are looking
for good restaurants, nightclubs, and shopping malls. The entire 88 floors are
divided into 16 segments where each of these segments is 1/8 shorter than the
16-storey base. Chinese consider number 8 as lucky as it symbolizes prosperity;
this building too revolves around this number.
Oriental
Pearl Tower
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| Oriental Pearl Tower, AAAAA (5A) scenic area by China National Tourism Administration |
Oriental Pearl Tower is a TV tower and one
among the significant landmarks of Shanghai, China. This once holds the record
of being the tallest tower in China. According to China National Tourism
Administration, this area is classified as AAAAA (5A) scenic area; this is the
highest rating given by the tourism administration. This rating is given based
on various criteria including the site’s importance, transportation available,
cleanliness, sanitation, etc. The tower contains 11 big and small towers and a
total of 15 observation levels. The sightseeing floor is at 263 meters. This
tower has a revolving restaurant. It is believed that the tower was designed
based on a verse of a poem called Pipa Song from the Tang dynasty; however, the
designer has said that he didn’t have this song in mind when he decided the
design of the tower.
The
Bund
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| The Bund, at night, a place to see various architectural styles |
The Bund is one of the most well-known visitor
attractions of Shanghai, China; it is a waterfront area and the height of the
buildings is restricted here. This is one of the must see places in Shanghai if
you are interested in visiting historical buildings. There is a total of 52
buildings in “The Bund” and these boasts of various architectural styles like
Gothic, Renaissance, Art Deco, Romanesque, Baroque, etc. One can find lots of
banks and financial institutions along “The Bund.”
Wen
Miao
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| Wen Miao, Shanghai Confucian Temple Image courtesy |
Wen Miao is a Shanghai Confucian Temple,
built to pay homage to Confucius. Wen Miao Lu was once a fishing village and it
is believed that the temple was first founded by Yuan dynasty; it is also said
that the temple went so many renovations. There is a market outside the temple;
this is opened every Sunday morning.
Yuyuan
Garden
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| Yuyuan Gardens mean "Garden of Happiness" or "Garden of Peace" |
Zhujiajiao
Water Town
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| Zhujiajiao Water Town, a must visit place in Shanghai to witness ancient buildings |
