Shanghai Daily News

Majestic but quiet - the Baohua Temple is a wonderful place to relax and meditate.
At the corner of Gaoping and Jiaocheng roads in Zhabei District, the temple is easily recognizable due to the exterior yellow walls and black-tiled eaves so prominent among Buddhist shrines.
Constructed during Emperor Xianchun's reign (1265-1274 AD) in the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the temple has survived through more than 600 years of prosperity and depression in repeating cycles. In the early 20th century, it became one of the city's most influential holy places with many people worshiping there and taking in the Buddhist ceremonies.
Unfortunately, the temple was demolished by bombs during the Japanese occupation (1937-1945). It was later converted into a Children's Village, to accommodate and educate orphans.
Eight years ago, the district government decided to relocate and rebuild Baohua Temple in an attempt to provide a place for district residents to worship.
After seven years of preparation and construction, the new temple was officially opened to the public in 2003 with the first phase of construction completed. The project was financed mainly by Buddhists.
The architecture of the entire temple complex was tastefully adapted to Song style with a unique design and assumes high artistic values.
Arranged along a central axis that extends northward inside the entrance are the Heavenly King Hall and the Precious Hall of the Great Hero.
On the east side of the halls are the Bell Tower and the Guanyin Hall and on the west are the Drum Tower and the Amitabha Hall.
A 1.8-meter-tall Laughing Buddha, known as the Maitreya or the Buddha of the Future, is enshrined in the middle of the Heavenly King Hall. The Buddha was originally a fertility figure who was known to bring "goodies" in his bag to local folks. He is a symbol of happiness, wealth and innocent contented joy.
The statue behind the Laughing Buddha and facing the Sakyamuni Hall is Bodhisattva Standa, God of Defense for Buddhist law. He is always dressed in armor with a warrior's club in his hand.
On the two sides of the hall are the statues of four heavenly kings, usually addressed as "the four heavenly kings for protecting the Buddhist world."
The exterior of the Sakyamuni Hall, or the main hall, has the most impressive and lofty roof.
As strikingly intriguing as the facade of the hall is, its artistic interior, which houses artifacts with superlative craftsmanship in statues, painting, carpentry and embroidery. Chinese art and culture are evident in this majestic hall.
The hall has its unique feature in the architectural perspective - three hollowed-out sunk panels are installed in the roof.
In the center of the hall stand three gilded 5.8-meter-tall Buddha statues. They are Sakyamuni Buddha, Bhaisajya-guru Buddha, and Amitabha Buddha.
Each of the statues portrays vivid facial expressions and different clothing. Each is a messenger serving as an envoy from upper heaven, showing a perfect combination of moral integrity, delicate emotions, broad mind and elegant semblance.
Behind the three statues are five hundred statues of the disciples of Buddha embossed with gold. Sitting, standing, or reclining, in anger, sadness, or delight, they stimulate people's imaginations.
On the east and west walls of the hall are arranged the figures of the Eighteen Arhats (Luohan) who are represented as possessing various kinds of supernatural powers.
The temple is currently undergoing the third phase of construction, which involves the living chambers of the monks and a sutra-collection hall.
On New Year's Eve, a bell-tolling celebration was held at the temple. Some 108 people braved frigid winds and lined up to strike the huge bronze bell in the temple, hoping to lure good luck in the new year.