Qinglong Temple and Pagoda

Qinglong Temple and Pagoda

Qinglong Temple and Pagoda are protected cultural heritage sites of Shanghai Municipality.

Qinglong Temple and Pagoda are located in Qinglong Village, Baihe. The temple was built in the second year of the Tianbao era of the Tang Dynasty (743 AD), originally named Baode Temple, and was renamed Longfu Temple during the Song Dynasty. In the 54th year of the Kangxi reign (1715 AD), during the emperor’s southern tour, he passed through Qinglong, personally inscribed the plaque “Exquisite and Solemn Longevity,” and bestowed the name “Jiyun Chan Temple” upon the temple. He also granted a crystal Guanyin statue, a lotus-splashed golden fan, and a apricot-yellow kasaya, collectively known as the “Three Treasures.” According to the Guangxu-era edition of the Qingpu County Annals, Qinglong Temple covered an area of over 60 mu, with more than 450 mu of temple fields. Its architecture was grand, featuring a Mahavira Hall, Ksitigarbha Hall, Skanda Hall, meditation hall, dining hall, Yixiu Hall, QieXie Hall, Wenjue Hall, Chenghuai Hall, abbot’s quarters, east and west corridors, incense kitchen, storerooms, and the Putong Pagoda among other structures. The sounds of bells and drums never ceased, and Buddhist chants echoed through the night, earning it the reputation of “the most majestic Buddhist site under heaven.” In the third year of the Jiaqing reign (1798 AD), a fire broke out, reducing the grand halls and towers to ruins. In the early years of the Daoguang reign, monks rebuilt some of the halls. In the tenth year of the Xianfeng reign (1860 AD), the temple suffered further destruction from war, with most of the buildings severely damaged. In the 25th year of the Republic of China (1936 AD), monks raised funds to rebuild the Guanyin Pavilion and cast a large bell, both of which no longer exist today. Only two stone tablets remain: (1) Record of the Reconstruction of Qinglong Longfu Temple, and (2) Inscription on the Rebuilt Mahavira Hall of the Imperially Bestowed Jiyun Chan Temple.

Qinglong Pagoda was built during the Changqing era of the Tang Dynasty (821–824 AD). Originally named Longfu Temple Pagoda, it is also called Qinglong Wild Goose Pagoda, commonly known as Qinglong Pagoda. It is an eight-sided, seven-story structure made of brick and wood. The pagoda and temple were renovated during the Kangding and Qingli eras of the Song Dynasty. In the 3rd year of the Yuandade era (1299), the 1st year of the Zhihe era (1308), and the 3rd year of the Zhizheng era (1343), Ren Renfa, a Qingpu-born painter and hydraulic engineer, along with his son Ren Xiande and grandson Ren Shizhi—three generations of the family—successively funded repairs to the pagoda. In the 17th year of the Ming Chongzhen era (1644 AD), a local resident named Zhu Mingjing restored the pagoda. In the 5th year of the Qing Shunzhi era (1648 AD), monk Baiyu renovated it again. For over 300 years since then, the pagoda had been left unrepaired, with staircases completely destroyed, eaves missing, the body leaning precariously, and on the verge of collapse. In 1956, the bronze gourd at the top of the pagoda was blown off by a typhoon; it bore the inscription “17th year of the Chongzhen era” and is now housed in the Qingpu District Museum. In 1992, the pagoda’s body had deviated 1.56 meters from the center, prompting the Shanghai Cultural Relics Management Committee to invite renowned structural stabilization expert Professor Cao Shizhong to correct its lean. The temple and pagoda were respectively designated as county-level and municipal-level cultural heritage protection units in 1959 and 1960.