Shanghai Impressions: Jade Buddha temple

Name: Institution: Course Code: Date: Shanghai Impressions Shanghai is modern city by all standards. The city if full of life and towering skyscrapers that have given the city’s its iconic skyline distinguishable from any other in the world. The skyscrapers are a modern marvel of engineering and demonstration of human ingenuity to find innovative ways of utilizing a natural resource, land. The skyscrapers are different and among other man-made structures around the city that demonstrate how the city is full of life and different. On the street level, there are as many people who seem to be hurrying to different destinations. The city debunks any misconceptions you might have about the nature of life in a typical Chinese city. On one hand, it is a modernized and westernized while on the other hand it is traditional and still retains that 19th century look and feel in some parts of the town. It has all the hallmarks of European and American city but also a strong presence of Chinese culture. It is a uniquely blended mix of both cultures that make the city admirably unique and rich in cultural diversity evident in its architecture, religion, cuisines, etc. Although a relatively modern town, Shanghai city is very historic. It is easy to assume that Shanghai is completely modern and it cannot be linked to its history from the media coverage it has. Most media portrayal of the city only feature the modern parts which are characterized by tall skyscrapers, busy roads and subway stations etc. However, as you walk through it you will come across the city’s historical monuments and living places which have the signature marks of traditional Chinese culture of the 19th century. Long before the birth of the thin skyscrapers which have dominated the central business district, Shanghai was a typical town for the local community. These nineteenth century buildings have retained their look and their retrofitting has been done to preserve their priceless historic value. It has few of these sites which are rich with history and position the city at the intersection of traditionalism and modernity. The long alleyways in the city have a thick historical atmosphere pegging it to its history. One of the places where you would feel a strong intersection of Shanghai in its modernism, history and other social aspects of the city such as religion is the Jade Buddha temple. Recently the temple was moved 30 meters from its original position to minimize the fire risk to the temple’s century-old wooden structures during festivals, where visitors usually burn large quantities of incense as part of their worship.CITATION Sou17 \l 1033 (South China Morning Post). It was also meant to hold more people as it has seen increased visitor numbers in the recent past. The delicate procedure was done with utmost care and precision to ensure it did not damage the centuries old fragile structure that houses important Buddhist monk. This is one place where the extreme olden Shanghai nature can be experienced from the architecture to the preserved culture which makes the place different from the busy modern life just across the street. Jade Buddha temple was founded in 1882 CE when...