The "Most Expensive Temple"—Jing'an Temple

Jing'an Temple, also known as Jing'an Ancient Temple, is located in Jing'an District, Shanghai. Its history is said to date back to the third year of the Sun Wu Chiwu era (247 AD), originally named Hudu Chongyuan (Xuan) Temple. In the first year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1008 AD), it was renamed Jing'an Temple. In the ninth year of Jiading during the Southern Song Dynasty (1216 AD), the temple was relocated from the banks of the Wusong River to the side of Lupo Feijing Bang (now West Nanjing Road), which predates the establishment of Shanghai city. Jing'an Temple covers a total construction area of 22,000 square meters, forming a pattern of the front temple and rear pagoda, consisting of the main buildings of the Mahavira Hall, the Heavenly King Hall, and the Hall of Three Saints, making it the oldest Buddhist temple in Shanghai. The temple houses famous paintings by Bada Shanren and the genuine script of 'Pipa Xing' by Wen Zhengming. Jing'an District is also world-renowned because of Jing'an Temple. The architectural style of Jing'an Temple imitates that of the Ming Dynasty and earlier, with the typical representative being the form of the Dougong brackets. Jing'an Temple is one of the key temples of Buddhism in Han Chinese areas and one of the ancient esoteric temples in Shanghai. Geographic location: No. 1686 West Nanjing Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai The value of Jing'an Temple lies not only in its cultural significance but also in its land and buildings worth nearly 6 billion yuan, making it the undisputed 'most expensive' temple in China.