Located at 434 West Yan'an Road in the center of Shanghai City, Shanghai Yuanming Buddhist Rites Hall was established in the autumn of 1934 by Master Yuanying, the fist president of Chinese Buddhism Association. In 1940 Yuanming Fashi Society was set up to expound texts of Buddhism and Lianchi Nianfou (pray to Buddha) Society was founded soon after that. In 1945 a Buddhism institute was established to cultivate Buddhism intellectuals. On 19th September in 1953, Master Yuanying died and according to his will his disciple Master Mingyang began to take charge of the Buddhist Rites Hall. The memorial of Mater Yuanying and Jade Buddha Hall were built in summer of 1983 the year when Shanghai Yuanming Buddhist Rites Hall was acknowledged as one of the key temples in the settlement of the Hans. It was in September of 1988 that it is returned to normal as a grand Buddhist Rite place with modern facilities and many halls such as Kwan-yin Hall and Buddha Hall being constructed inside. The cultural relics room was constructed in 1994 and at the end of 1999 the five-storey Hongfa Building was set up with a site area of 497.4 square meters and a floor area of 2,399.6 square meters. The Buddhism institute was resumed at the end of 1997 and merged into Hualin Buddhism Institute with Longhua Temple at the beginning of 2000.