# Longhua Temple, Shanghai > Longhua Temple is Shanghai’s largest Buddhist monastery, with a seven-storey pagoda from 977 in front of its gate, about 8 km southwest of the Bund. Entry is about ¥10 (one recent guide says free) and it opens daily, roughly 7:00–16:30 — unofficial figures. Allow 45–60 minutes. Metro: Longhua, Lines 11 and 12. Web page: https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/longhua-temple - City: [Shanghai](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai), China - YesGo score: 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 45 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: About ¥10 including incense; one guide says free - Hours: Daily, about 7:00–16:30 (some guides say from 7:10) - Pagoda: Stands outside the temple; no access inside - Address: 2853 Longhua Road (龙华路2853号), Xuhui District - Metro: Longhua (Lines 11 and 12), 5–10 min walk; Longcao Road (Line 3), 10–15 min - New Year bell: Ceremony on 31 December night; recent editions needed a free named booking - Payment: Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to a foreign card, or small yuan notes - Coordinates: 31.17695, 121.44656 - Facts checked: 04.11.2026 ## Key facts - **977** — year the brick body of the Longhua Pagoda was built (source: English Wikipedia: Longhua Temple; Chinese Wikipedia (Northern Song)) - **≈ 40 m** — height of the octagonal, seven-storey pagoda (source: English and Russian Wikipedia (40.4 m); Tonkosti) - **242** — traditional founding year, under Sun Quan of the Kingdom of Wu (source: English Wikipedia; Russian Wikipedia (242–247)) - **> 20,000 m²** — area — the largest Buddhist temple complex in Shanghai (source: Russian Wikipedia: Лунхуасы; China Travel) - **5 halls** — on the central axis: Maitreya, Heavenly Kings, Mahavira, Three Sages and the Abbot’s Hall (source: English and Chinese Wikipedia) - **1586** — the bell in the Mahavira Hall was cast (Ming, Wanli era) (source: English and Chinese Wikipedia) - **Chan** — the school of Buddhism; the layout follows a Song-dynasty Chan monastery (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **1954** — last major restoration; most halls are late-Qing rebuilds (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **1977** — listed as a protected Shanghai heritage site (source: Chinese Wikipedia; Wikidata Q41912) - **龙华寺** — Chinese name, Longhua Si — “Dragon Flower Temple” (source: English and Chinese Wikipedia) ## Longhua Temple tickets and entrance fee **Entry costs about ¥10**, with a bundle of incense included; you pay at the main gate by scanning a QR code or at the ticket window. That is the figure in English Wikipedia and most guides, though one recent guide says entry is now free. With no official notice either way, treat the price as unconfirmed. The **pagoda stands outside the temple**, in front of the gate, so you can see and photograph it without a ticket. Extra charges inside are for striking the bell in the Bell Tower, for premium incense and for food at the vegetarian canteen. Paying: mobile payment rules in Shanghai. Link a Visa or Mastercard to Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly, and keep a few small yuan notes as a backup. The metro gates accept foreign contactless cards, so you won’t need cash to get there. ## Longhua Temple opening hours The temple opens **every day, roughly 7:00 to 16:30** — the figure most guides give, though a couple say 7:10. There is no closing day. On the 1st and 15th of each lunar month, the traditional incense days, it opens earlier; guides disagree on exactly when, quoting anything from 5:00 to 6:00. Arrive by 15:30 so you’re not rushed through the halls. Weekday mornings are the calmest. Incense days and Chinese New Year bring crowds of worshippers and clouds of smoke — busy, but the best time to see the temple fully alive. ## How to get to Longhua Temple 1. From the Bund, walk up pedestrian Nanjing Road to East Nanjing Road station and take Line 2 west, towards Hongqiao. 2. After 2 stops, at West Nanjing Road, change to Line 12 towards Qixin Road. 3. Ride 5 stops — South Shaanxi Road, Jiashan Road, Damuqiao Road, Middle Longhua Road, Longhua — and get off at Longhua. 4. Follow the signs for 龙华寺; it’s a 5–10 minute walk. Guides disagree on the exit number, so go by the station maps. Allow about 45 minutes door to door from the Bund. 5. Alternatives: Line 10 from East Nanjing Road to Jiao Tong University, then Line 11 to Longhua; or Line 3 to Longcao Road and a 10–15 minute walk. By DiDi it’s about 8 km as the crow flies — show the driver 龙华寺. ## Is Longhua Temple worth visiting? Yes, if old Chinese temples are your thing. Longhua is the biggest temple complex in Shanghai, and its pagoda is more than a thousand years old. The courtyards are spacious and the place feels like a working monastery rather than a tourist stop. The catch is distance. It sits in the southwest, well away from the Bund and Lujiazui, and the trip each way takes about 45 minutes. With one day in Shanghai, the [Jade Buddha Temple](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/jade-buddha-temple) or [Jing’an Temple](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/jingan-temple) is a better fit. With two or three days, pair Longhua with [Tianzifang](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/tianzifang) and [Xintiandi](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/xintiandi), which are a short metro ride north. > **Can you climb Longhua Pagoda? No** The pagoda is the oldest and most fragile thing here — its brick body dates from 977 — and the upper floors have been closed to visitors for decades. You walk around it instead; worshippers circle it clockwise. Don’t climb the railing or the base. The best full-height shot is from the square in front of the temple. ## What to see at Longhua Temple - **Longhua Pagoda** outside the gate — octagonal, seven storeys, with small bells hanging from every corner of the eaves. - **Maitreya Hall** at the entrance — the laughing Buddha of the future, to whom the temple is dedicated. - **Hall of the Heavenly Kings** — four guardians of the directions, each about four metres tall. - **Mahavira Hall** — the main hall, with the Buddha flanked by bodhisattvas, twenty devas and eighteen arhats, plus a bell cast in 1586. - **Three Sages Hall** — Amitabha with Guanyin and Mahasthamaprapta; behind it, the Abbot’s Hall and the sutra library. - **Bell and Drum Towers** either side of the courtyard. The big bell is the star on New Year’s Eve; guides say you can pay to strike it on ordinary days. - **Vegetarian canteen** at the back — simple arhat noodles, about ¥15 a bowl according to unofficial guides. > **What to wear and how to behave** It is a working monastery, so cover shoulders and knees — it isn’t strictly enforced, but it is the respectful choice. Take off hats and sunglasses in the main hall. Step over the high wooden thresholds, never on them. Don’t touch the statues, don’t carry lit incense into the halls, and don’t photograph people praying up close. ## New Year’s Eve bell and the spring temple fair Ringing in the new year at Longhua is a Shanghai tradition. On the night of 31 December the temple holds a bell-striking ceremony, with lion dances, New Year noodles and the pagoda lit up. Recent editions required a free real-name booking and the format changes from year to year, so check the rules well ahead if you’re in town. The other big date is the **temple fair** in spring, on the third day of the third lunar month. It has run since the Ming dynasty and coincides with peach blossom in the area: crafts, street food and dragon dances. Great atmosphere, but pick another day if you want quiet halls. ## A short history Tradition says the temple was founded in 242 under Sun Quan, ruler of the Kingdom of Wu. War destroyed it at the end of the Tang dynasty, and it was rebuilt in 977 — the date of the pagoda you see today. The name, “Dragon Flower”, comes from a legend that a dragon appeared here. The layout follows a Song-dynasty Chan monastery, with five halls on one axis, but most of the buildings are late-Qing rebuilds, and the whole complex was restored in 1954. Since 1977 it has been a protected Shanghai heritage site. ## Longhua or another Shanghai temple? | | Longhua | Jade Buddha | Jing’an | City God | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Entry | ≈ ¥10 (one guide says free) | Free; Jade Buddha hall ≈ ¥10 | ≈ ¥50 | ≈ ¥10 | | Hours | ≈ 7:00–16:30 | 8:00–16:30 | ≈ 7:30–17:00 | ≈ 8:30–16:30 | | Highlight | Pagoda from 977, largest temple | Seated jade Buddha | Gilded roofs among skyscrapers | Taoist temple in the Yuyuan Bazaar | | Where | Southwest, Lines 11 and 12 | Putuo, Line 13 | West Nanjing Road, Lines 2 and 7 | Old City, Line 10 | Jade Buddha Temple hours come from its official website; the other temples’ prices and hours are unofficial — see each temple’s page for details. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Arriving before 15:30 so the halls are still open - [ ] Shoulders and knees covered - [ ] A few small yuan notes - [ ] Alipay or WeChat Pay set up with a foreign card - [ ] Chinese name 龙华寺 saved for the taxi - [ ] Offline Shanghai map downloaded - [ ] No climbing the pagoda ## Shanghai temples compared Temples and shrines in Shanghai rated by YesGo. - [Shanghai Old City](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-old-city) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [City God Temple](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-city-god-temple) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · ≈ ¥10 (one guide says free) - [Jing'an Temple](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/jingan-temple) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · ≈ ¥50 - [Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-jewish-refugees-museum) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · CNY 20; students 10, 60+ 15 - [Jade Buddha Temple](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/jade-buddha-temple) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free; Jade Buddha hall ≈ ¥10 - [Longhua Temple](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/longhua-temple) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ≈ ¥10 (one guide says free) ## Pagoda in the morning, Bund at night Start at Longhua when it opens, ride Lines 12 and 9 to the lanes of Tianzifang, walk on to Xintiandi and finish on the Bund after dark. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers. 1. [Longhua Temple](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/longhua-temple) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ≈ ¥10 (one guide says free) 2. [Tianzifang](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/tianzifang) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free 3. [Xintiandi](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/xintiandi) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free 4. [The Bund](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/the-bund) — YesGo score 59/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free ## Good to know Not to be confused with Longhua District in Shenzhen or with other Longhua temples in Fujian and Guangdong. Behind the temple lies the Longhua Martyrs’ Cemetery, a separate memorial with its own address on Longhua West Road — it is not part of the monastery. ## Tips - Come at opening time on a weekday — quiet courtyards and soft morning light on the pagoda. - You can see and photograph the pagoda for free from the square, even if you skip the temple itself. - On the 1st and 15th of the lunar month the temple fills with worshippers — fascinating, but crowded. - Most signs are in Chinese only; a camera translation app helps. - In peach-blossom season, combine the visit with the spring temple fair, but allow extra time. - Google Maps and Google search are blocked in China without a VPN or roaming eSIM — save the address 龙华路2853号 offline. ## Questions ### How much is the Longhua Temple entrance fee? About ¥10 including incense, according to most guides. One recent guide says entry is free; there is no official price online. ### What are Longhua Temple’s opening hours? Daily, roughly 7:00–16:30 (some guides say from 7:10). It opens earlier on the 1st and 15th of the lunar month. ### How do I get to Longhua Temple? Take Line 2 from East Nanjing Road to West Nanjing Road, change to Line 12 and ride 5 stops to Longhua, then walk 5–10 minutes. Allow about 45 minutes from the Bund. ### Which metro station is closest? Longhua, on Lines 11 and 12. Longcao Road on Line 3 is a 10–15 minute walk. ### Can you go inside or climb Longhua Pagoda? No. The pagoda dates from 977 and has been closed to visitors for decades; you can walk around it and photograph it from outside. ### Is Longhua Temple worth visiting? Yes, for Shanghai’s biggest temple and its tenth-century pagoda. It is far from the centre, so with only one day pick the Jade Buddha or Jing’an Temple instead. ### How long should I spend there? 45–60 minutes for the halls and pagoda; about 90 minutes with noodles at the vegetarian canteen. ### Is there a dress code? No formal one, but cover shoulders and knees and remove hats in the main hall — it is a working monastery. ### Can visitors join the New Year bell ringing? The ceremony takes place on the night of 31 December. Recent editions needed a free real-name booking, and the rules change, so check ahead. ## How we checked We found no official temple website listing price or hours, so both are marked as being checked. English Wikipedia, Chinatripedia, China Travel and Tonkosti give about ¥10 including incense; East China Trip (September 2026) says entry is free — we show both. Ctrip, SmartShanghai, Tonkosti and East China Trip give 7:00–16:30; Chinatripedia and China Travel say 7:10. Guides name different metro exits (3 and 4), so we leave the number out. English and Chinese Wikipedia disagree on when the Bell Tower bell was cast, so we don’t date it. The English core comes from search results and “People also ask”. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Longhua Temple; Line 11 (Shanghai Metro); Line 12 (Shanghai Metro); Russian Wikipedia: Лунхуасы; Chinese Wikipedia: 龙华寺 (上海); Wikidata Q41912 - Chinatripedia — price, hours, metro, halls, dress code, vegetarian noodles - East China Trip, September 2026 — free entry, hours, metro, New Year bell booking, noodles - China Travel, 2021 — price, hours, area, halls - Tonkosti — pagoda, price, hours, no access inside the pagoda - Ctrip and SmartShanghai — opening hours (as shown in search results) - Shanghai government portal (english.shanghai.gov.cn), January 2024 — New Year’s Eve bell ceremony - Shanghai government portal, June 2025 — foreign contactless cards on metro gates --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.