James Baquet

    AFTER Ningbo’s Qita Temple, I spent a full day traveling to Shanghai. The next morning I visited one of the prettiest little temples I’ve seen, the Chenxiang Ge.

Chenxiang is the Chinese word for an incense-producing tree, variously called Chinese eaglewood or agarwood. As “ge” means “pavilion” (usually with two stories) we could call Chenxiang Ge something like Chenxiang Pavilion.

The fragrant wood is not the substance of the pavilion itself, however, but of a beautiful statue of Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, which is housed on the second floor of a small, elegant building at the back of the temple compound.

The temple itself is a nunnery; these places make me happy, as Buddhist nuns are almost always sweet-hearted and accommodating. Typically, this temple serves free vegetarian lunch at noontime.

The temple is located just a few blocks from Shanghai’s busy City God Temple; between the two is located Songyue Lou, which claimed to be Shanghai’s oldest vegetarian restaurant, though there are counterclaims. On a more recent visit to the area, the restaurant location was undergoing renovation, and it was unclear if it was a remodel of the old restaurant or the installation of a new one.

Also nearby is the justly-famous Yuyuan garden, and tons of traditional Chinese shopping. It’s strange to say, but when I think of this area, I think of it as Chinatown, like the ones I’ve seen in the States!

Anyway, Chenxiang Pavilion makes a nice respite from the clamor of the shoppers and worshippers in the City God Temple area.