A working monastery in the middle of an ordinary residential district, built to house two Buddha figures carved from a single piece of Burmese white jade and brought to Shanghai in the 1880s.
The seated figure is about two metres tall. The reclining one is smaller than most visitors expect, and there is a much larger reclining Buddha in the same complex that is not jade at all and is frequently photographed as though it were.
What it costs
A small admission to the grounds, and ⚠️ a separate additional ticket for the hall containing the seated jade Buddha itself. Visitors regularly pay the first, walk the courtyards, and leave without seeing the thing the temple is named after.
⛔ No photography in the jade Buddha hall, and it is enforced.
When to go
Mornings. It is compact and fills up.
⚠️ Extremely busy on Buddhist festival days and at Chinese New Year.
Getting there
Jiangning Road on line 13, or Changshou Road on lines 7 and 13, then about ten minutes on foot through an ordinary neighbourhood.
If you only have an hour
Courtyards, halls, then buy the second ticket and see the jade Buddha, which is the point of coming. Then the reclining figure and the vegetarian restaurant, which is one of the better-known ones in the city.
What people get wrong
Not buying the second ticket. It is the single commonest wasted visit in Shanghai.
Nearby
Ticketing arrangements, closing days and boat timetables as published and checked on 6 September 2026. These change without much warning — confirm with the place itself before you travel. More sights, and how they fit together, in Landmarks & Sights.