Longhua Temple

Longhua Temple, in the south of Xuhui District, traces its origins to 242 AD in the Three Kingdoms period, which makes it one of the oldest religious sites in the Shanghai area. It was rebuilt in 977 under the Wuyue kingdom. Today it is a large working monastery that sees a steady stream of worshippers alongside visitors.

The Longhua Pagoda stands in front of the temple gate. It rises about 40 metres, and its brick base and body date from 977. Inside the temple walls, the halls run in a line along the main axis: the Maitreya Hall, the Hall of the Four Heavenly Kings, the Mahavira Hall, the Three Sages Hall and the Abbot's Hall. The Bell Tower holds a copper bell cast in 1382, about two metres high and weighing around five tonnes, and another bell from 1586 hangs in the Mahavira Hall.

The temple is best known in Shanghai for its Evening Bell-Striking Ceremony on New Year's Eve, when the bell is rung to see in the year. Expect large crowds then and at Lunar New Year and major Buddhist festivals. On an ordinary weekday the temple is far calmer than the central temples, and the incense-filled courtyards are pleasant for a slow wander.

Directly behind the temple is the Longhua Martyrs' Cemetery, a memorial to the victims of the 1927 Kuomintang purge, which is worth adding if you are interested in modern Chinese history. Allow an hour for the temple and another for the cemetery. Dress modestly, as you would at any active place of worship, and keep voices down in the halls.

A 2026 visitor guide lists opening hours of 7am to 4.30pm, from 6am on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, and describes admission as free, with incense sold separately. Luohan noodles are served inside the temple. Each spring, usually in March or April, the Longhua Temple Fair brings market stalls, ritual ceremonies and dragon and lion dances, timed to the old saying about visiting Longhua to see the peach blossom on the third day of the third lunar month. At New Year, visitors strike the big bell for blessings, and the pagoda is lit for a light show. From Longhua station on Lines 11 and 12, take Exit 4 and walk about five minutes.

Longhua Temple suits visitors who want an older, more traditional temple than Jing'an, and the cemetery next door makes it an easy half-day outing. Line 12 is the nearest metro line, with a short walk from the station to the temple.