Yufo Si

Though an active Buddhist monastery today, the real emphasis at Shanghai's most popular temple is squarely on tourism. What the busloads come for are the temple's two gorgeous white jade Buddhas, each carved from an individual slab of Burmese jade and brought to Shanghai in 1881 by the monk Huigeng, who was on his way back from Burma to his hometown on nearby Putuo Shan (Putuo Island). Northeast of the main Daxiong Bao Dian (Treasure Hall of the Great Hero), the Cangjing Lou houses the first of the two treasures: a lustrous, beatific, seated Buddha weighing 205 kilograms (452 lb.), measuring 1.9m (6 1/4 ft.), and adorned with jewels and stones. The other Buddha is found northwest of the main hall in the Wofo Si, where a less impressive, but still beautiful 1m-long (3 1/4-ft.) sleeping Buddha reclines, his peaceful expression signaling his impending entry into nirvana. Opposite it is a larger, coarser replica donated by the Singapore Buddhist Friendship Association in 1988.

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