Jade Buddha Temple (玉佛禅寺)
Temple · Putuo · Shanghai. A free-entry working temple with a Burmese jade reclining Buddha brought in 1899.
Source: https://chinafootnotes.com/places/jade-buddha-temple · Data checked 2026-10-02 · Rendered for 2026-10-03 (Asia/Shanghai). Facts carry their status; "not found yet" means we searched and found no reliable source.
Why go
Jade Buddha Temple (玉佛禅寺) is one of Shanghai's three best-known Buddhist temples and still a busy place of worship. It houses a seated jade Buddha upstairs and a small reclining Burmese jade Buddha brought by its first abbot in 1899. Entry has been free since June 2023, and the vegetarian noodle restaurant draws locals.
What to do
- See the seated jade Buddha. Upstairs in the Jade Buddha Hall (玉佛楼), behind the main hall, sits a seated Sakyamuni about 1.9 m tall, carved from white jade and decorated with gold leaf and gems; the ceiling holds hundreds of small gilded Buddhas.
- Compare the two reclining Buddhas. In the Reclining Buddha Hall (卧佛殿) a 96 cm Burmese-jade Buddha brought by the first abbot in 1899 faces a 4 m reclining Buddha in white marble given from Singapore.
- Walk the main axis. Follow the central line from the screen wall and Hall of Heavenly Kings (天王殿) to the double-eaved Mahavira Hall (大雄宝殿) with its yellow walls; side halls hold Guanyin, Manjusri, Samantabhadra and the Medicine Buddha.
- Eat a bowl of vegetarian noodles. The temple's vegetarian restaurant, with its own street entrance, serves simple noodle bowls; the mushroom noodles are the dish people come for.
- Don't miss: The small 96 cm jade reclining Buddha, one of the two original statues from Burma, in the Reclining Buddha Hall on the west side.
- Best time: Weekday 08:00–09:30
- Skip if: Skip the Jade Buddha Hall add-on if photos matter most to you: photography is not allowed there.
Practical details
- Hours: 08:00–16:30 daily
- Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun: 08:00–16:30, last entry 16:30
- Lunar 1st and 15th days and Buddhist festivals: 07:00–16:30.
- Lunar New Year's Eve to the 15th of the 1st month and New Year's Eve follow separate notices, sometimes with online booking.
- Admission: Free entry · Jade Buddha Hall extra
- Jade Buddha Hall (玉佛楼): ¥10 — ¥10 per person in an OTA listing and a 2025 guide; not stated by the temple.
- Free: All visitors (since 13 Jun 2023), except Lunar New Year's Eve and the 1st–15th of the 1st lunar month
- Spring Festival entry arrangements are announced separately each year.
- Booking: No booking on ordinary days
- Walk in at 170 Anyuan Road (安远路170号入寺)
- Passport accepted: unknown — The ordinary-day free-entry notice does not state ID or passport requirements.
- A separate 31 Dec 2025–1 Jan 2026 Gregorian New Year night event used online QR reservations of up to five people per phone number; this is historical and does not describe Spring Festival.
- Last admission: 16:30
- Time to allow: 1–1.5 hr; longer with lunch
- Getting there: Line 13 · Jiangning Road · Exit 3 · 5 min
- Metro Line 13 to Jiangning Road (江宁路), Exit 3, about 5 min walk
- Show a taxi driver: 请送我到普陀区安远路170号 玉佛禅寺
- Map: Apple Maps · Amap 高德
- From Exit 3 walk along Jiangning Road (江宁路) about 5 minutes.
- A 2025 guide gives about 10 minutes from Exit 3 or 4.
- Address: 上海市普陀区安远路170号 / 170 Anyuan Road
- Foreign visitors: Free ordinary-day entry; ID rule unconfirmed
Not found yet
- admission.paidExtras[0].amount: ¥10 只见携程编辑文字与一家 2025 英文导游站；寺院 2023 免票通告未提玉佛楼收费，2026 现状未证实。 (searched: official, OTA, WebSearch, blog)
- booking.realName: 免预约不等于无实名或无证件核验；寺院通告没有说明。 (searched: official, local guide)
- booking.passport.accepted: 官方免预约通告未说明外国护照是否需要或可用于入寺。 (searched: official, local guide, visitor report)
- foreignVisitors.idToBring.value: 免票、免预约公告没有免查身份证件的承诺。 (searched: official, local guide)
Traveler tips
- Walk straight in; no ticket needed. Since June 2023 the temple has charged no entry ticket and needs no reservation on ordinary days; just walk in at the main entrance, 170 Anyuan Road (安远路170号), between 08:00 and 16:30. From metro Line 13 Jiangning Road (江宁路) take Exit 3 and walk about 5 minutes along Jiangning Road. (3 travelers) source
- Pay ¥10 for the jade Buddha, no photos. The famous seated jade Buddha is upstairs in the Jade Buddha Hall (玉佛楼), behind the main hall, and listings give a separate ¥10 charge to go up. Photography is not allowed inside, and one guide has seen staff ask visitors to delete photos. Take pictures in the courtyards instead. Caveat: The ¥10 charge is not stated in the temple's own 2023 free-entry notice, so carry a little cash or a payment app in case. A March 2026 Russian visitor listed a ¥10 charge for the jade-Buddha hall; this does not establish festival admission prices. source
- Come early or avoid lunar 1st/15th. On the 1st and 15th days of each lunar month and on Buddhist festivals the gates open at 07:00 and the courtyards fill with incense and worshippers. For a quiet visit choose an ordinary weekday and arrive between 08:00 and 09:30; late morning to mid-afternoon and weekends are busier. source
- Spring Festival works differently. The temple’s ordinary free-entry rule excludes Lunar New Year’s Eve through the Lantern Festival. It publishes separate opening arrangements for that period; check the notice for the year you visit. source
- Lunch on vegetarian noodles. The temple runs a vegetarian restaurant on the second floor, entered from the street. A 2025 guide describes buying coloured meal tickets first, then sitting at shared tables; the mushroom noodle bowl is the popular order and is inexpensive. Go before 11:30 to avoid the lunch queue. Caveat: Single commercial guide; prices and the ticket system may have changed. The 11:30 timing is editorial. source
- Ignore fortune-tellers outside. People offering fortune-telling or 'blessings' around the temple entrance are not temple staff. The temple asks for no fee to enter on ordinary days, so you do not need to buy anything outside the gate to go in. source
Sources
- Shanghai Municipal People's Government (published 2025-06-05)
- Shanghai Jade Buddha Temple
- Shanghai Jade Buddha Temple (published 2023-06-13)
- Shanghai Jade Buddha Temple
- Shanghai Jade Buddha Temple
- Shanghai Jade Buddha Temple (published 2023-06-13)
- 上海本地宝 (published 2025-12-24)
- Ctrip
- Travel China With Me (guide service) (published 2025-11-20)
- Oksana Leto (Trip.com Moments) (published 2025-12-04)
- Shanghai Municipal People's Government (published 2025-06-05)
- iRecommend (published 2026-03-03)
- note (published 2023-11-06)