Address: 2853 Longhua Lu Shanghai, 200232 China (PRC)
Admission Fee: CNY 10
Opening Hours: 07:10--16:30
Phone: 86 21 6456 6085 / +86 21 6457 6327
Recommended Time for a Visit: One and a half hours
Transportation: Either takes a taxi to Longhua Lu/Longshui Bei Lu or metro line 3 to Longcao Lu. From the metro station follow tourist maps for the five minute walk to the temple.
Hotels nearby: Hengshan Hotel - Shanghai, Sports Hotel - Shanghai, Shanghai Airlines Travel Hotel - Shanghai
Scenic Spots nearby: xujiahui，Shanghai Xintiandi

Location
Longhua temple is located on the Longhua Road at the south of the city. The Longhua Temple (Longhua Si) is the oldest and largest temple in the Shanghai area.
It is said that the temple was built in 247AD.The temple; the pagoda, the temple fair and the evening bell chiming constitute a religious tourist attraction.

Architecture
Longhua Temple occupies an area of over 20,000 square meters (five acres) and the architectural proportion is about 5,000 square meters (one point two acres). Along the 194 meters long (637 feet) axis are the Maitreya Hall (Miledian), Devajara Hall (Tianwangdian), Mahavira Hall (Daxiongbaodian), Three Sages Hall (Sanshengdian), Abbot's Hall (Fangzhangshi) and the Sutras Keeping Hall (Cangjinglou) which keeps the three treasures of the temple including the Dazang sutras, the gold seals and the Buddhist statues. Bell Tower and the Drum Tower on the two sides are accessory halls, both of them have the same hexagonal windows and the curved eaves. The whole courtyard was built strictly in the style of traditional Buddhist symmetry and it's in accordance with the Chinese concept of beauty.

3.3-ton bronze bell is rung at midnight every New Year's Eve (Dec 31-Jan 1), which is regarded as one of the eight great attractions of Shanghai. Welcoming the New Year in the melodious, heavenly sound of the bell is an interesting and memorable experience. you can strike the bell, but for three times only.

Longhua Pagoda stands in front of the Longhua Temple, is seven-storied and 40.4 meters high, the brick body and the wooden staircases make up the main structure of the Longhua Pagoda. Each storey is smaller than the storey below, and all the levels are encircled by balconies and banisters. Bells on each corner of the octagonal eaves make cheerful and lively sounds as the wind passes by. Longhua Pagoda has been rebuilt several times, but the style of the Song Dynasty still remains to today.
Due to its age and fragility, the interior of the Longhua pagoda is forbidden visiting by visitors. Outside, the pagoda is made of wood and brick and tiny bells hang in its delicate eaves.

The extensive temple grounds, on the north side of the newly created pedestrian street, you can always see lots of incense-bearing supplicants there.

The most impressive is the third hall, Grand Hal, where a gilded statue of Sakyamuni sits under a swirling red and gold carved dome. He is flanked on each side by 18 arhats (disciples). Behind him, Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, presides over a fascinating tableau representing the process of reincarnation: a boat in the bottom right corner indicates birth, while death waits at the bottom left corner.

From 8 to 11 AM and from 1 to 3 PM the monks gather in the Grand Hall every day to pray for souls of the deceased, whose photos top the altar. We can watch this moving ceremony from the sidelines.

Sanshén Bao Diàn, features three incarnations of the Buddha are on the forth floor. Behind the third and fourth halls is a simple, popular vegetarian restaurant (11am-2pm), as well as the Longhua Hotel and a room filled seven rows deep with small golden statues.

Every April is the Longhua Temple Fair, when the entire temple area is packed with stalls selling Chinese food, crafts and more, and it is said that dragons visit the temple to grant people's wishes. Large numbers of tourists and pilgrims will come and the Longhua will become a place of great hustle and bustle.