A Buddhist temple that has stood on this site (under various names) since 247 AD, but the gleaming current version is essentially a 21st-century reconstruction with a golden Burmese-teak finial and a 6.2-tonne silver Buddha inside. The new building sits incongruously among the Plaza 66 luxury mall and the high-rises of West Nanjing Road — making for one of the more startling juxtapositions in Shanghai.
It is a working temple with daily prayers, and the entrance fee is modest. The interior is more impressive than the somewhat Disneyfied exterior suggests. Combine with a stroll through the surrounding Jing'an district and a coffee at the rooftop terrace of the nearby Reel Mall.