Tranquil temples to transport you
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Wan Fo Temple
After walking down a narrow lane in Fengcheng Town, visitors encounter the magnificent Thousand Buddha Hall, with golden shining tiles, vermilion columns and gray brick walls.
It is one of Shanghai's largest Bhiksuni (order of female Buddhist nuns) sites and dates back more than 600 years.
As the name implies, the temple enshrines 10,000 gilded Sakyamuni Buddha statues, said to be the largest single temple collection in East China.
The temple has an aura of grandeur. It is built on a north-south axis connecting Mahavira Hall (Great Buddha's Hall), Vitasoka Buddha Hall (the protector of Buddhism), the Wan Fo Tower, the monastery entrance and the ancient city wall dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
A meditation hall, a drum tower, a hall of abstinence and guest rooms are neatly aligned from east to west.
Stepping into the temple grounds, visitors enter a place of tranquility and meditation, seeming far from the outside world.
Gingko and camphor trees tower in the courtyard, offering shade. A giant bronze incense burner stands in the center. Verandas and open corridors stretch in all directions, connecting the halls.
The three-story Wan Fo Tower along the north-south axis is the highlight.
Ascending the wooden stairs, past the Sansheng Hall on the first floor and the sutra collection pavilion on the second floor, visitors enter a room which is filled with small shining Buddha statues.
In the center is the golden 3.5-meter-high Vairocana Buddha, symbol of light illuminating the world of mortals. The Buddha is seated on a 1.5-meter-wide throne carved with 10 golden lotuses, symbolizing the 10 dharma realms or states of existence.
Each lotus petal is engraved with a Buddha, which comprises 365 miniature golden statues.
Everywhere stand small golden Buddha statues with different postures, gestures and facial expressions, symbolizing Buddha's thousands of incarnations that bring brightness into the world and alleviate suffering.
Mater Xinliang is the 91-year-old abbotess who became a nun when she was five years old. She tells the story of the temple.
Around 600 years ago, Wan Fo Temple was only a shabby nunnery. In the late Yuan Dynasty, a girl from a rich family sought refuge after she fled from an arranged marriage. After several months of meditation, she took the tonsure and became a nun.
The heartbroken parents built a temple for their daughter. Locals were greatly moved by the girl's piety and flocked to the temple, which became famous and prosperous.
The temple was devastated during the "cultural revolution." In 1989 after China launched its policy about religious freedom, the temple was rebuilt and restored. It was renovated several times since then.
Today, with the ringing of its morning bell and drumming in the evening, the temple has again become a magnet for those seeking peace and refuge.
Address: 189 North Gate, Fengcheng Town
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