Originally built in 1863 in a different location, and moved here in 2004, this temple is one of only two Daoist temples in China to possess the precious Ming Dynasty Daoist Scripture (daozang) -- the other is the much larger Baiyun Guan in Beijing. The two-story temple is housed in a courtyard building with red walls, lattice windows and doors, and a beautiful ornamented roof. Incense-bearing supplicants pray before a dizzying array of gilded Daoist deities, each entrusted with a specific cause. If your timing is right, you may be able to catch a Daoist service, which is highly ritualized, often resembling pageants complete with music, chanting, and processions of monks in colorful robes.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Shanghai, 5th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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