The City’s Most Precious Buddha

The City’s Most Precious Buddha
#BulgariStories

The fame of the Yufo Temple is tied to two precious statues of Buddha, carved out of single blocks of white jade, imported from Burma in the XIX Century - a Buddha sitting in meditation, 1.95 metres high and weighing 3 tons; a lying Buddha Sakyamuni, approximately 1.80 metres (not to be confused with the similar statue in the Temple, 4 metres high and carved out of marble, imported from Singapore). While the history of this place is only a century and a half long, the two snow-white and peace-exuding sculptures have witnessed numerous historic events - the birth of the Temple in 1882, its total destruction in 1911 during the Wuchang Revolt and the end of the Empire, its reconstruction in 1918, the Cultural Revolution and various restorations, conceived to maintain the splendour of the buildings. In recent years, Yufo was also at the centre of an ambitious move! At the end of work begun in 2014, the Central Pavilion was lifted up and moved 30 metres north from its original position. In September of 2017, another delicate operation took place with the moving of 2000 tons of the structure, lifted on hydraulic jacks and rolled along special tracks at a speed of 3 centimetres per minute to avoid damaging the precious statues within. Yet another remarkable moment in the history of this place of peace.

Chiara Vedovetto - © 2020 ARTE.it for Bulgari Hotel Shanghai