Longhua
Temple is the oldest and largest temple in Shanghai. It was first built
in the year 242 AD and has long history of over 1700 years. Most of the
buildings in Longhua Temple were reconstructed during the reign of the
Emperor Tongzhi and Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty.
Longhua
Temple covers
an area of over 20,000 square meters and the architectural proportion
is about 5,000 square meters. Splendidly constructed, the temple, till
today, still keeps the original feature of Buddhist "chan" sect
of the Song dynasty. In the temple are kept Buddhist scripture, gold seals
and Buddhist statues of the Tang, Five, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Longhua
Temple is dedicated to the Maitreya Buddha and holds two important Buddha
statues.
Accessory halls on the two sides are the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower,
both of them are furnished with the same hexagonal windows and the curved
eaves. On New Year's Eve, the temple bell is traditionally rung to welcome
the new year.
Apart
from its long history, the allure of the temple also lies in the Longhua
Pagoda and the peach blossoms in its courtyard. In the front of the temple
sits Longhua Pagoda.Seven stories high, the pagoda measures forty meters
in height. Each storey is smaller than the storey below, and all the levels
are encircled by balconies and banisters. Bronze bells are hung on each
corner of the eaves; when the wind blows, the bells yield a pleasant sound.
The Longhua Pagoda and Temple area has been open to the public as Longhua
Park.
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