Shanghai Baiyun Taoist Temple

Shanghai Baiyun Taoist Temple

The full name of Baiyun Temple is "Haishang Baiyun Temple" (literally "Baiyun Temple on the Sea"). It is now the headquarters of the Shanghai Taoist Association and was one of the more influential Quanzhen sect temples in modern Shanghai. Held in high esteem by devotees and Taoists alike, it is regarded as the foremost Taoist temple in Shanghai.

In the fifth year of the Tongzhi reign (1866), Quanzhen Taoist priest Wang Mingzhen built the Leizu Hall, a Quanzhen Taoist temple, just outside the north gate. In the eighth year of the Guangxu reign (1882), Quanzhen Taoist priest Xu Zhicheng raised funds to construct Baiyun Temple. In the same year, due to road expansion, the temple had to be relocated. With the support of donors from the Renji Charity Hall, abbot Xu Zhicheng purchased a three-mu plot of land outside the old west gate to rebuild the Leizu Hall. By the twelfth year of the Guangxu reign (1886), the Doumu Hall, guest hall, and dining hall were expanded. Additionally, 21 rooms from the adjacent Ciyun Nunnery and over two mu of land were acquired. In the thirteenth year of the Guangxu reign (1887), abbot Xu Zhicheng designated the Leizu Hall as a “ten-direction forest open to all, under the leadership of the Longmen Orthodox sect.” In the fourteenth year of the Guangxu reign (1888), Abbot Xu traveled to Beijing. With the assistance of Beijing Baiyun Temple’s abbot Gao Rendong and Qing government officials Deju and Xu Songge, the temple obtained eight thousand volumes of the Ming Dynasty’s official Zhengtong Daozang (Canon of the Orthodox Tao) as a branch of Beijing Baiyun Temple. This gradually established its status as a major Quanzhen ten-direction forest. In the nineteenth year of the Guangxu reign (1893), with funding from Chen Runfu, president of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, among others, additional halls including the Three Pure Ones Hall, Lüzu Hall, Qiu Zu Hall, Maoshan Hall, guest hall, and dining hall were built, making it one of the most influential Quanzhen temples in the country. In 1902, with continued support from the new supervisor Wang Lichuan, further expansions included the Jade Emperor Hall, Taiyi Hall, and Jiazi Hall, bringing the total number of rooms to over 160.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Haishang Baiyun Temple was preserved and renovated, gradually restoring its original purity as a Taoist monastery. During the Cultural Revolution, the policy of religious freedom was once again undermined, the Shanghai Taoist Association ceased operations, and regrettably, the temple’s Taoist scriptures, calligraphy, paintings, statues, and cultural relics were destroyed. The temple was repurposed as a factory.

In November 1984, after renovation, Baiyun Temple resumed Taoist activities and reopened. The eight Ming Dynasty bronze statues previously kept by Shanghai’s cultural relics authorities were returned to the temple. Additionally, a 1.8-meter-tall, 1.8-ton bronze statue of the Jade Emperor seated in meditation, crafted during the Qing Qianlong–Jiaqing period, was brought back. As a result, Haishang Baiyun Temple today houses nine bronze statues, the largest collection among Taoist temples nationwide. In March 1957, after the establishment of the Preparatory Committee of the Shanghai Taoist Association, the committee operated within Baiyun Temple. In April 1985, following the official founding of the Shanghai Taoist Association, its headquarters were located in Baiyun Temple.

In 2002, due to old city redevelopment, Baiyun Temple was relocated again, and its new address is 239 Dajing Road, Huangpu District. The newly built Baiyun Temple features over eighty Taoist statues, all crafted using the ancient Han Dynasty technique of "tuotai" (lost-wax casting). Among them, the five-meter-tall seated statue of the Jade Emperor in the main hall is a rare masterpiece nationwide.

Address: 239 Dajing Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai (near Qinglian Street)

Type: Taoist Temple

Recommended visiting time: About 1 hour

Phone: 021-63287236

Opening hours:

8:00-16:00

Ticket information:

Door price: 10.0 RMB

Incense ticket: 10 RMB, includes 3 incense sticks.