LONGHUA Temple and pagoda in the southwest area of the city was a major tourist attraction for foreigners in the days of Old Shanghai. It has eight sides and seven storeys and was first built in the year 274AD. The pagoda itself is closed but can easily be seen from the road. The temple complex opposite is huge, featuring several impressive Buddhas,including one who looks like a serene Bart Simpson. 2853 Longhua Lu.

Longhua, the Historic Town Longhua, which has a long history, is one of the famous ancient towns south of the Yangtze River. Situated in the southeast part of Xuhui District, it covers an area of 8.08 sq. km and has a population of over 40,000. At Longhua is found the thousand-year-old Temple of Longhua that features on its grounds an ancient pagoda. Here is also located the Martyrs' Cemetery of Shanghai and the memorial hall of Huang Daopo the ancient weaving lady of China. Every year in March, the local people like to come to Longhua to enjoy the sight of the blooming peach flowers and stroll around the fair before the Temple. At the Temple, the old hierarchical system that began in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) is still in force today. Visited every day by large numbers of monks and laymen, the Temple is pervaded by the smell of incense burning and the sounds of prayers and Buddhist ritual music. Over a million people visit the Temple each year and on the eve of the Lunar New Year, large numbers of people, Chinese as well as foreign, come and listen to the Temple bell ringing in the new year. The pagoda in the Temple was first built in A. D. 977 in the Song Dynasty. An octagonal seven-storied structure, it is over 40m high. In 1990, technicians installed new lighting devices in the Temple and atop the pagoda, thus making it possible for the Temple to present itself at its best on festive nights.