Shou'an Temple

Shou'an Temple

Shou'an Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Shou'an Temple is located at the southern end of Jinao Mountain, five li east of Chongming County Town, and is one of the Four Great Ancient Temples of the Treasure Island. Originally built during the Chunyou era of the Song Dynasty (approximately 1241 to 1252), it has a history of over a thousand years and is the oldest temple on Chongming Island, having survived through the most dynasties and undergone the most construction, demolition, expansion, and changes.

The temple was initially built by monks from Sichuan who came to Chongming. It was first named "Fuan Temple," then in the fifth year of the Yuan Dynasty's Yanyou era (granted the temple name "Yongfu Shou'an Temple"), and underwent continuous renovation and expansion through the four feudal dynasties of Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing.

The temple’s grand structures—including the Mahavira Hall, Buddha Selection Hall, Thousand Buddha Pavilion, Repentance Hall, Canghai Pavilion, Heavenly King Hall, Jade Lotus Pond, Bamboo Grove, Qingyuan Hall, Fengle Pavilion, and Moon Garden—are adorned with glazed tiles, shimmering in radiant hues, featuring painted beams, colorful pillars, carved doors, and latticed windows, all glittering in resplendent glory. Two ancient ginkgo trees, each over 500 years old with trunks a foot in diameter, cast their lush shade over the ground, together forming an extensive temple complex nestled against Jinao Mountain. It embodies both the spiritual charm of an ancient mountain temple and the refined elegance of a renowned temple on the plains.

At its peak, the temple housed hundreds of buildings and over a thousand monks, with incense burning ceaselessly all day and worshippers coming in an endless stream. It once gave rise to three major Buddhist sects, where scriptures were chanted and the sounds of sutra recitation filled the air. The temple houses three iron-cast statues of the Three Ages Buddhas, each weighing several tons. In front of the main hall stands a large dragon-and-phoenix carved incense burner, two meters high, while a treasured tripod over three meters tall weighs more than two thousand jin. In the bell and drum towers, there is a massive bell weighing over two thousand jin and a full-leather drum. Daily, the sounds of the evening drum and morning bell linger in the air, creating a scene full of chanting, devout prostrations, the rhythmic beat of wooden fish, and continuous scripture recitations.

Address: No. 1188 Taosheng Road, Chongming District, Shanghai (near Jinao Mountain Park)

Type: Temple

Recommended visiting time: 1–2 hours

Phone: 021-69698981; 021-69691834

Official website: http://www.shouansi.com.cn/

Opening hours:

8:00-18:00

Ticket information:

Door price: 10.0 RMB

General

Located at the southern end of Jinao Mountain, five li east of Chongming County Town, accessible by car or public transport

1. By car: Middle Ring Road — Xiangyin Road Tunnel — Wuzhou Avenue — G40 Shanghai–Shaanxi Expressway (Shanghai Yangtze River Tunnel and Bridge) — Chenhai Highway — Gulangyu Road — Aoshan Road — Shou'an Temple

2. By public transport:

① Shen-Chong shuttle bus line (West Gate Bus Station, Chengqiao Town ~ North District Hub Station, Zhongshan North Road) goes directly to Chengqiao Town;

② At Baoyang Road Pier in Baoshan District, you can take a ferry directly to Baozhen Pier, then transfer to the Nanbao Line to reach Chengqiao Town;

③ Take the Pengshi Line (Pengpu New Village ~ Shidongkou Pier) to Baoshan Shidongkou Pier, then take a boat to Chengqiao Town on Chongming. Walk straight east along Nanmen Road, cross the intersection at Dongmen Road, and continue east along Aoshan Road. Jinao Mountain Park and Shou'an Temple are located on Aoshan Road in Chengqiao Town (Nanmen Port), Chongming County Town.