SH101 is an ongoing column on SmartShanghai, in which our writers actually visit tourists destinations in Shanghai we've all heard about, ignored, driven by, or thought about going to but never did. Until right now.

Longhua Temple has three claims to fame: 1) it’s the biggest Buddhist temple in Shanghai, 2) it features a pagoda that dates back to the Song Dynasty (that’s the 10th century, for those who’ve gotten rusty on Chinese dynastic chronology), and 3) it was featured in the background of a Steven Spielberg movie!

Okay, that last fact isn’t as officially important. But it’s the most interesting thing we found about the temple via online tourist sites before heading over to check it out for ourselves.

Despite being in the Xuhui District, Longhua Temple is still kind of in the middle of nowhere. You have to take Line 3 to get there (Longcao Lu Station), and even then there’s a 1 km walk. Or just taxi -- it’s about 20rmb from Grand Gateway. They’re constructing a new metro station nearby but it's not done yet. The area looks kind of empty until you suddenly see the pagoda sticking out in all its 977 A.D. glory.



Ooh. Aaah. Song-style architecture! Mmmyes.

…but it turns out that you can’t actually go into the pagoda or do anything besides look at it, so take a left and get your ticket for the temple itself. Entrance costs 10 rmb, but you get a free packet of incense at the door!



FREE STUFF YAY

Once inside, the temple is surprisingly spacious. Longhua is reputedly the most active Buddhist temple in Shanghai, but even so there wasn’t any crowding – at least, not on a mid-August Wednesday morning. On top of that, the devoted who frequent Longhua Temple are pretty much the opposite of the loud-pushy-Shanghainese stereotype. All are quiet and astutely aware of personal space. Not a single person appears the slightest bit harried, not even while waiting in line for the special Longhua mooncakes that are advertised on posters all over the temple. They wait in line! In single-file, exuding smiles of graciousness and blessing, no less.



Let us all shuffle about in bubbles of monkish calm…

Longhua Temple is definitely more of a religious site than a tourist destination. Everyone seemed to be there for the purpose of performing as many bai bais (prayers) as possible within the limits of their expendable time and free incense. It’s kind of a treat just to watch, though. Stand by in the courtyard after the first hall, and you’ll see clusters of mostly middle-aged locals gliding in and out of the square, whirling from one corner to the next and praying in every direction. A steady rhythm forms. Hold up incense, bow, turn. Walk three steps. Incense, bow, turn. Walk. Incense, bow, turn. Glide to the left. Incense, whoosh. To the right. Incense, whoosh - aaand throw a coin into the donation box! About-face. Incense, whoosh, grab your partner and do-si-do! move to the next courtyard!



Rock on.

Plus, nobody cares if you stand around and take pictures of them praying/the Buddhas/anything. Like this girl did.

The halls themselves are decently interesting, especially if you’re into religious sites. There are almost no English explanations for anything, but some of the interiors are pretty impressive on their own. You’ll probably enjoy it more if you have some previous knowledge of Buddhism.









Just tons of little golden guys...

Around 11:30, a group of monks walked out of the on-site vegetarian restaurant. They were cute.



We traced their steps to the restaurant, which we’d read about online and were excited to try.

The restaurant is apparently the other (real) reason locals come -- to pray, and then to EAT NOODLES. A bowl of “blessing noodles” (literally, ji xiang mian) costs 10rmb, plus you can get little plates of kao fu and vegetarian chicken (aka tofu) for 5rmb each. Unfortunately, it all tasted the way you’d expect temple food to taste: very austere and pure, or uh... bland and flavorless.



Tasted like it looks. Meh.

But the real treasure of Longhua Temple is what lies in wait for the truly devoted seeker. Hidden in the very back of the temple, past all the halls and through a short bamboo-bordered footpath, is a building of the wow-this-looks-really-sketchy variety. Its windows are dusty, signs outside chipped and faded, and it basically appears to be abandoned by all.

That is, except for the lucky few who venture in and find this:



WHAT!?

Air conditioning! Chandeliers! Plush seating, and the glories of the most abundant vegetarian buffet we’ve ever seen in Shanghai!



So yeah, there’s this vegetarian all-you-can-eat buffet chain from Taiwan that opened a branch right next to Longhua Temple… and they have a back door that leads straight into the temple itself. You step from a full temple yard’s worth of chaste simplicity into an opulent world of endless meatless dishes, from fake sashimi to custom pasta and hot pot, okonomiyaki to crème brulee, spring rolls to udon to an assortment of Haagen-Dazs flavors and a bar stocked with colorful bottles of Absolut…!? It’s kind of overwhelming.







O weak-willed monks, beware: the temptation of gluttony awaits...

The fancy veggie buffet was 148 rmb/person, but we thought it was well worth it. Actually, it was our favorite part of the entire temple trip. Excuse the sacrilege of our worldliness. We were really hungry…

Worth it?

So is Longhua Temple worth a visit? No, if you’re looking for touristic informational satisfaction. But if you’re interested in Buddhism or want to see Shanghainese people doing the incense shuffle, then sure. And if you’re seeking vegetarian indulgence, then DEFINITELY YES.

Address information on Longhua Temple is right here.

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