Records and descriptions of Jing’an Temple in Shanghai

Jing'an Temple is one of the famous ancient temples in Shanghai. It is said that it was built during the reign of Sun Wu Chiwu of the Three Kingdoms and was originally named Hudu Chongxuan Temple. In the first year of Song Dazhong Xiangfu's reign (1008), it was renamed Jing'an Temple. In the ninth year of Jiading in the Southern Song Dynasty (1216), the temple moved from the Wusong River to the edge of Feijing Bang in Lupu (today's No. 1686 Nanjing West Road). It has been nearly 780 years since the city was founded in Shanghai. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the temple reached its current size. In the 34th year of the Republic of China (1945), calligrapher Deng Sanmu inscribed "Jing'an Ancient Temple" on the forehead, which is still in use today.

Located on Nanjing West Road, Jing'an District. Originally named Chongyuan Temple and Chongyun Temple, it was renamed Yongtai Zen Temple in the Tang Dynasty. It was named Jing'an Temple in the first year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1008) in the Northern Song Dynasty. It was originally located on the north bank of Wusong River. Due to the overflowing river tide, the temple foundation was endangered. In the ninth year of Jiading in the Southern Song Dynasty (1216), it was moved to the bank of Feijing Bang in Lupu (now Nanjing West Road). After the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, it was repaired and destroyed many times. The existing building was rebuilt in the sixth year of Guangxu (1880) in the Qing Dynasty.

The Yuan people had the so-called "Eight Scenes of Jing'an", namely Chiwu Stele, Chenchaohui, Lecture Platform, Xiazitan, Yongquan, Luyun Cave, Hudu Lei and Luzi Ferry. They were famously inscribed in the past dynasties. , are now all annihilated. The gushing spring is a boiling well, commonly known as the eye of the sea. A stone fence is built next to the spring, surrounded by an iron gate, and an Ashoka-style stone pillar "Brahma Pillar" is erected next to it, with the inscription "The Sixth Spring in the World". There is also a stone carving of "Between Yunhan and Zhaohui" in the temple, which was inscribed for the scholar Qian Liangchen's library in the 10th year of Chunxi of the Southern Song Dynasty (1183) when Guangzong Zhao Chen was the crown prince. After the pavilion was destroyed, it was moved to the temple. In recent years, it has undergone major renovations to restore the style of the ancient temple.