Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai

Jade Buddha Temple tickets and entrance fee

Walking in is free. In June 2023 the temple scrapped its incense-and-flower ticket for every visitor on every day of the year except Chinese New Year’s Eve and the first fifteen days of the lunar new year. There is nothing to book in advance — just walk through the gate on Anyuan Road.

The one charge left is for the Jade Buddha hall upstairs, about ¥10 according to unofficial guides; the temple’s own site doesn’t list it, so we mark it as being checked. Many guidebooks still quote a ¥20 entrance ticket — that predates the 2023 change.

How to pay: keep a few small yuan notes, and set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with your Visa or Mastercard before you fly. Either covers the hall fee, incense and a bowl of noodles; mobile payment is the norm all over Shanghai.

Jade Buddha Temple opening hours

The temple is open every day from 8:00 to 16:30. On the 1st and 15th of each lunar month — the traditional incense days — and on big festivals such as the Buddha’s birthday, the gates open at 7:00. Expect crowds of worshippers and clouds of incense then, which is also the best chance to see the temple fully alive.

Over Chinese New Year the temple publishes a special schedule, with online booking for New Year’s Eve and a couple of night openings; at all other times no reservation is needed. Aim to arrive by 15:30 so you can see the halls without rushing before closing. Weekday mornings right after opening are the quietest.

Is the Jade Buddha Temple worth visiting?

Yes, if you want one Buddhist temple in Shanghai: entry is free, it is a genuine working monastery rather than a museum, and the seated Buddha, cut from a single block of Burmese jade, is the reason to come. The yellow walls and curved roofs make it far more photogenic than its modern surroundings.

It is not a big site. Forty-five minutes to an hour covers every hall, and it sits away from the Bund and Lujiazui, so it works best as a morning stop on the way to Jing’an and Nanjing Road. If you’ve already seen major temples in Beijing or Hangzhou, this one is pleasant but not essential.

What to see inside

• Hall of the Heavenly Kings by the south entrance — the laughing Maitreya, the guardian Weituo and the Four Heavenly Kings of the four directions.
• Grand Hall (Mahavira Hall) — three gilded Buddhas, twenty devas and eighteen arhats along the walls, with a large Guanyin behind.
• Jade Buddha hall on the upper floor at the north end — a seated Shakyamuni about 1.9 m tall, carved from one block of Burmese jade and set with gems. This is what you came for. Separate fee, no photos.
• Reclining Buddha hall — a small jade Buddha lying on his side at the moment of nirvana. A much larger marble reclining Buddha, donated from Singapore, sits nearby and is often taken for the original.
• Courtyards — incense burners, yellow walls and upturned eaves; best in soft morning light before the groups arrive.
• Vegetarian canteen — the temple’s famous mushroom noodles.

A short history

The story starts with Huigen, a monk from Mount Putuo. In 1882, returning from a pilgrimage through Burma, he was given five jade Buddhas by Chen Junpu, a Chinese merchant living there. He shipped two — one seated, one reclining — to Shanghai and built a temple for them with donations.

That first temple was caught up in the 1911 revolution and the statues were moved. The present complex went up between 1918 and 1928 on land donated by the Qing official Sheng Xuanhuai. The reformer Master Taixu died here in 1947, and since 1983 the temple has housed the Shanghai Buddhist Institute. It follows the Chan school — the Chinese root of Japanese Zen.

Vegetarian noodles at the temple

The temple’s vegetarian canteen is a reason to come in its own right. The signature dish is double mushroom noodles; there are also arhat noodles, vegetarian wontons, pastries and, around the Mid-Autumn Festival, meat-free mooncakes.

Reported prices per bowl range from ¥25 to ¥38, so check on the spot. Pay by Alipay, WeChat Pay or cash. After an early temple visit, a bowl of noodles makes a good late breakfast before you head on into town.

Jade Buddha, Jing’an or Longhua Temple?

Jade Buddha Temple hours come from its official website; Jing’an and Longhua prices and hours are unofficial. Short on time? The Jade Buddha Temple is free and has the statues you won’t see anywhere else.

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How to do it right

• Be there at 8:00 on a weekday — quiet courtyards and soft light on the yellow walls.
• On the 1st and 15th of the lunar month the temple opens at 7:00 and fills with worshippers: fascinating, but crowded.
• Have small notes or a working Alipay ready for the Jade Buddha hall fee.
• Walk the 2 km or take the metro on to Jing’an Temple, then down Nanjing Road to the Bund.
• Don’t carry lit incense into the halls; keep backpacks in front of you.
• Google Maps and Google search are blocked in China without a VPN or roaming eSIM — save the address offline.

Questions