| Chenxiang Pavilion | |
|---|---|
沉香阁 | |
 Entrance of Chenxiang Pavilion. | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhism |
| Sect | Chan Buddhism |
| Leadership | Shi Dinghui (释定慧)[1] |
| Location | |
| Location | Huangpu District,Shanghai |
| Country | China |
  Shown within Shanghai | |
| Coordinates | 31°13′58″N121°29′46″E / 31.232827°N 121.496185°E /31.232827; 121.496185 |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Chinese architecture |
| Founder | Pan Yunduan (潘允端) |
| Established | 1600 |
| Completed | 1815 (reconstruction) |
Chenxiang Pavilion orChenxiangge Nunnery (simplified Chinese:沉香阁;traditional Chinese:沉香閣;pinyin:Chénxiāng Gé) is aBuddhist temple located in theHuangpu District ofShanghai. It is currently serving as a nunnery forBuddhist nuns.
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The temple was first established by an official named Pan Yunduan (潘允端) in 1600, under the rule ofWanli Emperor in the lateMing dynasty (1368–1644), the current temple was founded in 1815 during theQing dynasty (1644–1911) and initially called "Ciyun Chan Temple" (慈云禅院).[2]
On May 26, 1959, Chenxiang Pavilion was inscribed to the Shanghai Municipal Cultural Preservation Unit List by theShanghai Municipal Government.
In 1966,Mao Zedong launched the ten yearsCultural Revolution, thered guards attacked the temple and Chenxiang Pavilion was dilapidated with huge losses of the religious and cultural relics, including a Ming dynasty exquisite wooden statue ofGuanyin. Then The temple was used as a factory.[2]
Chenxiang Pavilion has been designated as aNational Key Buddhist Temple in Han Chinese Area byState Council of China in 1983.[2]
On November 20, 1996, it was listed among the fourth batch of "Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Shanghai" by the State Council of China.[3]
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The temple occupies a total area of 2,378 square metres (25,600 sq ft). The extant structure is based on theQing dynasty (1644–1911) building principles and retains the traditional architectural style. Main structures from theShanmen to theHall of Guanyin are aligned with the central axis and divided into three courtyards. At the very front isPaifang, followed by theFour Heavenly Kings Hall,Mahavira Hall, and finallyHall of Guanyin in the rear. On both sides of the central axis are Hall of Dharma Protectors and Memorial Hall of Master Yingci (应慈法师纪念堂).[2]
Maitreya is enshrined in theHall of Four Heavenly Kings and at the back of his statue is a statue ofSkanda. Statues ofFour Heavenly Kings are enshrined in the left and right side of the hall.[2]
TheMahavira Hall enshrining the Three Saints of Hua-yan (华严三圣). In the middle isSakyamuni, statues ofManjushri andSamantabhadra stand on the left and right sides of Sakyamuni's statue. Statues ofBrahma andIndra are placed on both sides of statues of Manjushri and Samantabhadra. At the back of the hall enshrines the statue ofGuanyin withShancai standing on the left andLongnü on the right. The statues ofEighteen Arhats sitting on the seats before both sides of the gable walls.[2]
A 1-metre (3 ft 3 in) high wood carving statue ofGuanyin is placed in the middle of the hall. The original statue was carved in 1600 during theMing dynasty (1368–1644) but was completely destroyed during the ten-year devastating cultural revolution. The present version was presented byHong Kong Buddhist devotees.[2]
The Hall of Dharma Protectors (伽蓝殿), for the worship ofLord Guan, a famousgeneral during theThree Kingdoms era and honoured as the protector of Sangharama.[2]