The seventh abbot was Master Zhi Fang, from Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, his dharma name Bao Sheng. In his childhood he was ordained in the Xizhu Temple of the Hongkou District, Shanghai. At the age of 18, he went to Mt. Baohua to be given full ordination. Mt. Baohua was the ancestral monastery of modern Vinaya Sect and a main base of vinaya studies in the southeast. Master Zhi Fang found it strict in discipline and solemn in appearance. Then it occurred to him that a monk should take the responsibility of promotion of Buddhism besides Buddhist ceremonies. He came back to Shanghai after the ordination and practiced meditation in seclusion for three years. He devoted himself to the study of sutras and benefited a lot from it. He learned Huayan Thoughts from Master Ying Ci and had a good command of it. He also supported monks and nuns in their study, and was highly respected by people at that time. He took charge of the abbot of the Jade Buddha Monastery from 1945 to 1947.