Shanghai Baiyun Taoist Temple

　　   The full name of Baiyun Temple is "Haishang Baiyun Temple." It is currently the headquarters of the Shanghai Taoist Association and was one of the more influential Quanzhen sect Taoist temples in modern Shanghai, holding a revered status among the faithful and Taoists alike, making it the foremost Taoist temple in Shanghai.

　　   In the fifth year of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1866), Quanzhen Taoist priest Wang Mingzhen established the Leizu Hall, a Quanzhen Taoist temple, outside the North Gate. In the eighth year of the Guangxu reign (1882), Quanzhen Taoist priest Xu Zhicheng raised funds to build Baiyun Temple. In the same year, due to road expansion, the temple had to be relocated. With the financial support of the board members of the Renji Charitable Hall, Abbot Xu Zhicheng purchased three acres of land outside the Old West Gate to rebuild the Leizu Hall. In 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 acres of land were acquired. In the thirteenth year of the Guangxu reign (1887), Abbot Xu Zhicheng designated the Leizu Hall as a "Ten Directions Monastery" that would "forever belong to the orthodox Longmen lineage and serve as a place to receive wandering Taoists." In the fourteenth year of the Guangxu reign (1888), Abbot Xu traveled to Beijing and, with the help of Beijing Baiyun Temple’s abbot Gao Rendong and Qing government officials Deju and Xu Songge, obtained eight thousand volumes of the Ming Dynasty's Zhengtong Daozang (Canon of the Orthodox Taoism) as a branch of Beijing Baiyun Temple, gradually establishing the status of a Quanzhen Ten Directions Monastery. In the nineteenth year of the Guangxu reign (1893), with the support of Chen Runfu, president of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, and others, additional structures such as the Three Pure Ones Hall, Lüzu Hall, Qiu Zu Hall, Maoshan Hall, guest hall, and dining hall were added, making it one of the more influential Quanzhen Taoist temples nationwide. Between 1902 and the subsequent years, under the continued support of the new supervisor Wang Lizhuan, further expansions included the Jade Emperor Hall, Taiyi Hall, and Jiazi Hall, bringing the total number of structures to over 160.

　　   After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Haishang Baiyun Temple was protected and restored, gradually regaining the pure image of a Taoist monastery. During the Cultural Revolution, however, the policy of freedom of religious belief was once again undermined, and the Shanghai Taoist Association ceased its operations. Sadly, the Taoist scriptures, paintings, and calligraphy housed in Baiyun Temple were destroyed, along with its statues and cultural relics, and the temple was repurposed as a factory.

　　   In November 1984, after renovation, Baiyun Temple resumed Taoist activities and reopened to the public. The eight Ming Dynasty bronze statues, which had been kept by the Shanghai Cultural Relics Management Department during the Cultural Revolution, were returned to the temple for enshrinement. Additionally, a 1.8-meter-tall, 1.8-ton jade statue of the Jade Emperor seated in meditation was brought back; it dates from the Qing Dynasty's Qianlong–Jiaqing period. As a result, Haishang Baiyun Temple still preserves nine bronze statues to this day, the most of any Taoist temple across China. In March 1957, after the establishment of the Preparatory Committee of the Shanghai Taoist Association, it operated from within Baiyun Temple. In April 1985, after the official establishment of the Shanghai Taoist Association, its headquarters were set within Baiyun Temple.

　　   In 2002, due to old city redevelopment, Baiyun Temple was relocated again, and its new address is at No. 239 Dajing Road, Huangpu District. Over eighty Taoist statues enshrined in the newly built Baiyun Temple were crafted using the ancient Han Dynasty technique known as "tuo tai" (lost-wax casting), among which the five-meter-tall seated statue of the Jade Emperor in the main hall is rare even nationwide.

　　   Address: No. 239 Dajing Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai (near Qinglian Street)

　　   Type: Taoist Temple

　　   Recommended Visit Duration: About 1 hour

　　   Phone: 021-63287236

　　   Opening Hours:

　　   8:00–16:00

　　   Ticket Information:

　　   Gate Price: 10.0 RMB

　　   Incense ticket: 10 RMB, includes 3 sticks of incense.