Anting Bodhi Temple

Anting Bodhi Temple

Anting Bodhi Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Bodhi Chan Temple was first built in the second year of the Chiwu era (239 AD) during the Three Kingdoms period under the Eastern Wu Dynasty. It was commissioned by Lady Wu, the mother of Sun Quan, and was originally located on the site of what is now Anting Middle School. It is one of the earliest Buddhist temples in Shanghai. After its completion, worshippers flocked to the temple to offer incense and pay homage, filling it with devout visitors. Nearby villagers gradually gathered here as well, and the settlement grew into a market town. Hence the saying: “Bodhi Temple came before Anting Town.”

The temple was rebuilt in the second year of the Tianjian era during the Liang Dynasty. Later, during the Qingtai era of the Later Tang Dynasty in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Xu Chengyi and Li Yanqiong initiated another reconstruction. During the Song Dynasty, the monk Huicai further renovated the temple. In the Kaibao era of the Song Dynasty, Emperor Taizu bestowed a plaque that was hung prominently at the temple entrance. In the 20th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1592), the Bodhi Temple had fallen into disrepair. A monk named Haiyue from Hangzhou’s Wuling Monastery passed by and was deeply saddened, weeping profusely. He vowed to restore the temple. Haiyue had an ironworker forge a heavy iron chain weighing over 100 jin (approximately 50 kg), which he locked around his own neck. He threw the key into the temple’s ancient well and publicly pledged that he would not remove the chain until the temple was restored. For the next three years, barefoot and regardless of severe cold or heat, he carried the heavy chain and traveled far and wide to solicit donations. His determination deeply moved all who saw him, and they generously contributed. After five arduous years, the restoration was finally completed.

The temple was renovated again in the 44th year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty (1779). By the 24th year of the Republic of China (1935), the temple grounds covered 25 mu (approximately 1.67 hectares), consisting of three courtyards: the front hall dedicated to the Heavenly Kings, the middle halls for Guanyin and Ksitigarbha, and the rear main hall. Within the halls were stone steles inscribed with texts such as "Record of the Reconstruction of the Mahavira Hall of Bodhi Temple" written by Tang Shisheng in the 20th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, and "Record of the Renovation of Bodhi Temple" composed by Qian Daxin in the 33rd year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, calligraphed by Jiang Wuyi, with the inscription heading written by Qin Dacheng. In front of the halls hung a large, hollow, deep-toned bell suspended by iron rings, weighing over a thousand jin. When struck, its resonant sound could be heard far and wide. On quiet nights, when monks chanted sutras and rang bells and drums, the deep toll of the bell echoed long into the night sky.

Location: No. 422, Yong’an Street, Anting Town, Jiading District, Shanghai

Transportation: Routes include Anju Line, Anhong Line, Anting Route 1, Anting Route 3, and Anting Route 4

Type: Temple

Recommended visiting time: 1 hour

Phone: 021-59561065

Anting Town: Located in the northwestern suburbs of Shanghai, Anting Town is a modern comprehensive industrial city primarily focused on the automobile industry and related manufacturing. It also serves as a central town in western Shanghai. Bordered by the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway to the south, Jiangsu Province to the west, and Jiading District to the north, it sits at the junction of Jiading, Kunshan, and Qingpu, about 32 kilometers from downtown Shanghai and 20 kilometers from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. Since the reform and opening-up, driven by the spirit that "development is the hard truth," Anting has leveraged its strong industrial foundation, strategic geographic location, and sincere collaborative attitude to attract a significant number of domestic and international businesses to invest and build... More details about Anting Town++