ast Sunday, free and at leisure, my roommate and I went to visit the Xilin Buddhism Temple, the highest ancient tower in the region of Shanghai.

Located in Zhongshan West Road, Songjiang District, Shanghai, the Xilin Buddhism Temple belongs to the typical Ming and Qing architectural style of “Unity of Temple and Tower”. It has been a famous Jiangnan temple since ancient times. The Xilin Buddhism Temple was built in the Southern Song Dynasty (1265--1274) and has a history of more than 700 years. Its first name was the Yunjian Reception Hall, also known as the Chong’en Temple. In the early days of the Yuan Dynasty, it was destroyed and then was rebuilt in the 20th year of the reign of Ming Hongwu (1387). There is a Chong’en Pagoda in the courtyard in memory of the founder of the Yunjian Reception Hall. As the founder was a Zen Master named Yuanying, the pagoda is also known as the Yuanying Pagoda (commonly known as the Xilin Tower). The tower has seven floors and eight sides with a height of 46.5 meters and was built in the brick and timber structure.

There are two old halls still existing now, which are the Sansheng Hall and the Yaoshi Hall. Insider the halls are the ancestral halls of the abbots of the Xilin Buddhism Temple. The environment inside the temple is elegant and the limited greenery is also arranged just right. The layout of the bonsai around the tower adds to the quiet atmosphere of the pagoda, which is always praised by the believers. On the occasion of major Buddhist activities, it will be arranged according to the requirements of the relevant content.

Inside the gate of Xilin Buddhism Temple, we immediately saw the Main Shrine Hall which amazed us with its solemnity. Besides the Main Shrine Hall, there are also some other halls and towers around. Many people come here to burn incense and pray for blessing to themselves and their families. My roommate and I also burned some incense in order to pray for the health and safety of our parents. In other temples, the Bell and Drum Towers are often closed, not allowing people to go into the towers and enjoy the view. However, in the Xilin Buddhism Temple, people can directly go to the top of the Bell and Drum Tower and look at the bells and drums at close range. People can even roll the bell or play the drum in person as long as they pay for that. When we went upstairs, we enjoyed a significant view of the whole temple on the top of the tower. It is well worth climbing the tower and enjoying the beautiful view of the ancient halls and towers.

The trip to the Xilin Buddhist Temple made me forget all the stresses and worries temporarily and I felt quite relieved when visiting the halls and towers. It might be the magic of religion and faith. If you want to know more about the religious culture of our country, especially Buddhism, you had better buy a ticket and enjoy your visit here.