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Published: April 9th 2007
Jing An Temple
This is the outside of the temple. I spent Easter Weekend traveling around and seeing more of the city. Easter is not a very popular holiday in China. There are many Europeans and Westerners who celebrate the holiday and there are a few churches in the city. My friend said she went to church here last year on Easter and it was extremely crowded.
Saturday (4-7)
I went to the Jing An Temple. I was expecting it to be located in a remote, peaceful area; little did I know the temple is right in the middle of the city. There are a few different buildings which make up Jing An Temple. When you walk in, you find yourself in an outdoor square, enclosed by the many buildings of the Jing An Temple. After walking inside the temple area and looking out, all I saw was construction, large buildings and billboards. While in the temple area you hear all the loud noise of the city. It is a peaceful atmosphere, with people who come to prey and give offerings (money). I was surprised to see swastikas in the art work and architecture of the figures and buildings. After doing some research I learned:
"In Buddhism,
Jing An Temple
Buddhist swastica the swastika (cross with four arms) signifies auspiciousness and good fortune as well as the Buddha's footprints and the Buddha's heart. The swastika is said to contain the whole mind of the Buddha and can often be found imprinted on the chest, feet or palms of Buddha images. The swastika has also often been used to mark the beginning of Buddhist texts. In China and Japan, the Buddhist swastika was seen as a symbol of plurality, eternity, abundance, prosperity and long life." http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/symbols/swastika.htm (if you want to learn more Buddhism this is a helpful site- most of the sites I tried are blocked by the Chinese government this is one of the only ones I could get in to)
The people who come to prey in the temple light incense and bow and prey in the four cardinal directions.
Since visiting the temple, I have been trying to learn more about the Buddhist religion.
After the temple we walked across the street to do some shopping. There is a mall with knock off bags, jewelry and clothing. I am finally feeling better about bargaining for prices. I don’t know how to say some of the numbers in
Jing An Temple
Inside the temple Chinese, but I bring a calculator, and most places have calculators to use.
Sunday 4-8 EASTER!
I went to Pudong on Easter Sunday with one of my friends. I was able to see the Oriental Pearl Tower and walk down the Huangpu River. The Pearl Tower is a TV tower which is 468 meters tall and it is the highest TV tower in Asia (3rd tallest in the world). It was kind of cloudy and overcast. I feel like in the morning it is very sunny and as the day goes on, the sky becomes more overcast.
After eating and site seeing in Pudong, we went to the French Concessions. This is my favorite area of Shanghai. In the past, Shanghai was divided by cultures and countries. The French had their own area, the Jewish had their own area...etc. My friend and I walked around the area then stopped at a bar called the Blue Frog.
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Megs
non-member comment
it all makes sense now!
When I worked at Birmingham Country Club there was this old room with swastikas all over the floor in patterns....but kind of hidden-i thought it was so creepy. Hopefully it was because of Bhuddist meaning and not a nazi room! yikes! anyway, that temple is so amazing! I want to come see you so bad!