广福寺 Circular patterns on a tiled floor are not a rarity in the old town. The loftier and and richer the house looks (or rather -- looked in the past), the wider the circles and the more complex the designs. These three linked lane houses at Guangfu Nong are only steps away from the gateway of the fake Old Shanghai street (poor Fangbang Zhong Lu).
The namesake temple, Guangfu Si, was built around 940 AD. Inside, incense smoke enshrouded a giant statue of Sakyamuni Buddha. In the 1960’s, Guangfu Temple (located at the north side of Fangbang Zhong Lu) was assaulted by the Red Guards, stripped of ornaments, and what was not demolished became simplified dwellings.
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