Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai

In the western part of Shanghai, a very modern and flourishing city, there is a venerable and famous Buddhist temple, Jade Buddha Temple. In 1882, an old temple was built to keep two jade Buddha statues which had been brought from Burma by a monk named Huigen. The temple was destroyed during the revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty. Fortunately the jade Buddha statues were saved and a new temple was built on the present site in 1928. It was named the Jade Buddha Temple.

The Jade Buddha Temple is a good place to go whether you are a Buddhist or not, the peaceful and transcendent atmosphere adds a kind of richness to our busy modern society.

We were lucky to see some monks chanting and I was able to film a short sequence of the rite:

Grand Gateway Plaza and Cotton’s Shanghai

Xujiahui counts as the biggest shopping and entertainment quarter in the southwest of the town. The shopping quarter is named to Xu Guangqi, a scholar of the Ming dynasty who lived in this part of the town. On a surface of 1.2 square kilometers are located Xujiahui the Grand gateway shopping centre, the Orient shopping centre, the Pacific department store, the Huijin department store, metro city and the Huilian department store. We visited the place by night to get some impressions of the colorful ad displays.

If you have time, check out Cotton’s bar for a relaxing evening and some cocktails. It is located in a three-story 1930s villa in the French Concession. It’s definitely worth visiting.

Grand Gateway Plaza, Shanghai Trip Details

Alicia Keys Live in Zurich 2010

On May 17th Alicia Keys was at the “Hallenstadion” in Zurich to perform the “Element of Freedom” Tour. See some impressions and three videos I made with the Canon SX200 IS. Unfortunately it was not allowed to take a dSLR into the concert hall.