Chenghuang Temple originated from the ancient worship of Shui (Huang) Yong (City) and is one of the eight gods in "Zhou Palace". "Cheng" originally refers to a high wall built of excavated earth, and "Huang" originally refers to a moat without water. In ancient times, man-made cities were built to protect the safety of the people in the city, so tall walls, towers, gates, trenches, and moats were built. They believe that things closely related to people's lives and production safety have gods, so the city and the god are deified as the protector gods of the city. Taoism incorporates it into its own pantheon, calling it the god who cuts off evil, protects the country, and rules over the souls of the dead in the underworld.
Starting from primitive beliefs
Chenghuang Temple (2 photos) In ancient times, the agricultural economy often appeared weak in the face of powerful natural forces. A potential fear made people often regard Hope is placed in the worship of totems, ancestors and natural gods. Through certain sacrifices, people can seek the protection of natural forces and ancestors. Under the control of the concepts of "animism" and "unity of man and nature", there are theories about gods. Worship and sacrificial rituals gradually formed primitive beliefs.
The City God is one of the natural gods worshiped by our country’s primitive beliefs. According to records, the City God was first seen as the Water God in the Eight Waxes of the Emperor in the Book of Rites of the Zhou Dynasty. "The Book of Rites, Jiao Special Sacrifice No. 11" contains: "The Emperor of Heaven made wax eight. The Yiqi clan began to be wax. Wax Ye, Suo Ye, in the twelfth month of the year, gathers all things and takes them for a feast." What does “ wax eight” mean? Zheng Xuan notes: There are eight gods sacrificed. Xu Shen's "Shuowen" says: "From the sound of insects in the past...it is said that the name of the person is sacrificed at the end of the year." Therefore, the eight gods are worshiped at the end of the year. They are: Si Si, the God of Hundreds of Kinds, the God of Agriculture, the Postal Watch, the God of Animals, the Square, the Water Monkey, and the Insects. Among them, Shui Yong ranks seventh. Shuiyong is a ditch in farmland, and Shuiyong God is also the God of ditches. Later, ancient cities also had to build city walls, and there was also a moat outside the city walls. The battlements with water are called "chi", and the battlements without water are called "huang". The word "city god" first appeared in the first six lines of the Tai hexagram in the "Book of Changes": "The city is restored to the god, do not use teachers, tell your own fate in the city, be honest and stingy." Among them, "city" refers to the city wall, and "huang" refers to the moat (moat). The word "city god" is used together to refer to the city. It was first seen in Ban Gu's "Liangdu Fu·Preface": "The capital is building palaces and dredging the city god." Primitive worship believes that everything related to people's daily life has gods, and "the merits are given to the people." Sacrifice it, if it can prevent disasters and protect it, then worship it" ("Tongkao of Five Rites"). City walls and moats play an important role in defending against attacks from enemies and wild beasts, and in protecting the safety of the people of a city. Therefore, the Shuiyong God was promoted to the City God and was regarded as the patron saint of the city.
Inclusiveness is one of the most significant features of our traditional culture and folk beliefs, and the same is true for the City God belief. As the City God's influence among the common people became increasingly prominent, Taoism also incorporated the City God into its own system of gods. In the "Complete Collection of Daomen Kefan" compiled by Du Guangting, there is a record of the ceremony of worshiping the gods during the fasting ceremony. In the subsequent development process, the City God gradually became one of the main underworld gods worshiped by Taoism. In many Taoist ritual activities, the City God must be present. Taoism originated from the people and influenced the people, and even penetrated into thousands of households. The City God was originally a folk god. After Buddhism spread widely in China, it accepted the Buddhist underworld system, and the City God began to become the chief executive of the underworld and take charge of the affairs of the underworld. For example, the "Water and Land Dharma Assembly" of Buddhism in the Song Dynasty began to list the City God as one of the important gods to be respectfully invited.
Chinese folk belief mainly refers to the belief in secular gods. A typical feature of it is that the gods of traditional beliefs and the gods of various religions are repeatedly screened, eliminated, and combined to form a complex belief in gods. system. This clearly reflects the diversity of Chinese secular beliefs. Therefore, Chinese folk beliefs are characterized by the integration of multiple religions and the worship of multiple gods. It can be said that there is no system for the groups of gods in folk beliefs, but these beliefs are not essentially in conflict. On the one hand, this reflects the inclusiveness of Chinese culture, and on the other hand, it also reflects the "peaceful" cultural and spiritual characteristics of folk beliefs. .
City God has developed from the original beliefs and folk beliefs of our ancestors to the religious beliefs of later generations. They originated in the farming civilization. As one of the main birthplaces of agricultural civilization, ancient Chang'an has long been a special status as the political, economic and cultural center of our country, which determines that it has become a place for the spread of spiritual culture. Therefore, ancient Chang'an naturally became the origin and spread place of the City God belief.
Ji Xin of the Han Dynasty, the earliest personal city god
The city god gradually transitioned from a natural god to a personal god. In traditional society, people hope that heroes will still have their spirits after death. , as local gods to protect themselves. In the process of the City God evolving from a natural god to a human god, Ji Xin was the earliest in the Han Dynasty. Chang'an was not only the origin and spread place of the City God belief, but also produced the earliest human god of the City God - Ji Xin.
According to the "Chang'an County Chronicle Wangqu Chenghuang Temple Fair": "It is said that during the Chu-Han Battle of Xingyang, the Han general Ji Xin disguised himself as the King of Han and rescued Liu Bang from the siege, but was burned to death by Xiang Yu. Liu Bang conquered the world Later, Ji Xin was granted the title of Chief City God of Thirteen Provinces, and a temple was built in Wangqu, Chang'an. He held sacrifices every year on the eighth day of the second lunar month, and later it became a temple fair. It is described in "The First Chapter of the Gaodi Chronicles" and local related materials. After Liu Bang proclaimed himself emperor, he generously rewarded him with a letter of honor, and gave him a yellow robe. He chose Shanglinyuan (today's Wangqu Town) to build a large temple and offer sacrifices. He held sacrifices every year on the eighth day of the second lunar month, and later it became a temple fair.
It is said that during the reign of the Second Emperor Wen and Jing, in order to comply with the people's wishes and strengthen his rule, he enshrined the enshrinement envelope as the City God and became the protector of Chang'an City. Judging from historical records, Wangqu City God's sacrificial ritual has a history of more than 2,000 years, which is 400 years earlier than Wuhu City God Zhou Yu and the City God Temple in the Three Kingdoms period.
During the Three Kingdoms, Two Jins, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the belief in the City God continued to grow, and Wangqu City God sacrificial activities also continued to flourish. In the Tang Dynasty, city god worship has become a common practice in various places. Local officials regularly offer sacrifices to the city god on behalf of the people every year or when the local area encounters natural disasters such as drought or flood. Wangqu City God was located close to Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty, and became the object of sacrifice by the government and the people. We can imagine the grand ceremony of the sacrifice activities at that time. In the Song Dynasty, the City God was officially included in the sacrificial rituals, and it was clearly stipulated that new officials must visit the City God Temple within three days of taking office. This was to use the power of the gods to control officials. Wang Quchenghuang Jixin was also named "Loyal and Blessing Duke of Anhan", and in the Yuan Dynasty, he was posthumously named "King of Fu De Xian Zhong Kang Ji". Zhu Yuanzhang, Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, granted the title of City God to the whole world and perfected the system of offering sacrifices to the City God. The City God corresponds to the current administrative agencies, but its functions are higher than the current chief executive, thereby achieving spiritual rule over local officials and people. Wangqu Chenghuang was named "Zhongliehou" by the Ming Dynasty, enjoying the third rank, and the sacrificial activities were even more important and grand. The Qing Dynasty continued to use the Ming Dynasty system.
According to "Bin Tui Lu" written by Zhao Yushi of the Song Dynasty, by the Song Dynasty, there were dozens of Chenghuang temples dedicated to Ji Xin in various places. , Ningguo, Taiping, Xiangyang, Xingyuan, Fuzhou, Nan'an counties, Huating and Wuhu counties are all called Jixin."
Today, according to rough statistics, there are still more than 30 Chenghuang temples in the country where Jixin is the city god. The most famous ones are: Xi'an, the ancient capital, Yangqu, Xingyuan and Huxian in Shaanxi, Wuhu and Ningguo in Anhui, Lanzhou, Tianshui and Xigu in Gansu, Zhengzhou, Fangcheng, Gushi, Xingyang and Mi County in Henan, Zhenjiang in Jiangsu and Lin'an in Zhejiang , Qingyuan, Xiangyang, Hubei, Nan'an, Fujian, Shanghai, Wafangdian Fuzhou, Hebei, Nanchong, Sichuan, Taiping, Guangxi, etc. Among them, Tianshui in Gansu, Nanchong in Sichuan, and Huxian in Shaanxi all regarded Ji Xin as a local and built city god temples to worship him as his hometown. Because Henan was the main battlefield where Ji Xin marched and fought and the place where he finally surrendered and appeared, many temples were built to worship Ji Xin as the city god.
Public belief among the people
After the Song Dynasty, the belief in the City God has become a very common belief among the people. With the development of the belief in the City God among the people in our country, the God of the City God believed by people everywhere has become more and more personified, Localized and diversified, most of them are worshiped as city gods by deceased heroes or famous ministers who are generally recognized by the local people. For example, the ancient capital of Xi'an and many cities across the country still worship General Ji Xin, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, and Suzhou worships Chun Shenjun during the Warring States Period. Huang Xie, Wen Tianxiang and Yangjiao Mountain were worshiped in Beijing, Zhou Xin was worshiped in Hangzhou, Pang Wang was worshiped in Kuaiji, and Su Yan was worshiped in Nanning and Guilin.
The imperial court conferred the title of City God
In the first year of Qingtai (934), the late emperor of the Later Tang Dynasty, the City God was granted the title of king.
During the Tianli period of Emperor Wenzong of the Yuan Dynasty, the imperial court allowed the City God to have his wife. From then on, there was a sleeping hall in the City God's temple, dedicated to the City God and his wife.
In the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang praised it even more. It is said that before Zhu Yuanzhang became emperor, he stayed in the Chenghuang Temple and survived the disaster. After Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself emperor, in the first year of Hongwu (AD 1368), he decreed that the city god of the capital be granted the title of King Xianyou of the Supervisory Department, with a first-class position; he was on the same level as the "three princes" of the imperial court, namely, Taishi, Taifu, Taibao, and the left and right prime ministers. At the same time, the city gods of each prefecture were granted the title of Wei Linggong, the city god of the supervisory department, with a rank of 2nd rank; the city god of the state was granted the rank of Xianyouhou, the city god of the supervisory department, with a rank of 3rd rank; the county town god was granted the rank of Xianyoubo, the city god of the supervisory department, with a rank of 4th rank. It was during this period that various states, prefectures and counties built City God temples one after another. The Capital God's Temple was built by the emperor himself, with money allocated from the palace, and the abbot of the temple was directly appointed by the court. All prefectures, prefectures, and counties followed suit in order according to their levels. The scale and level were completely based on the local government offices, and Mianyu official uniforms were prepared according to levels. In the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1370), the imperial court promulgated regulations and systems specifically for worshiping the City God. He also issued an edict to remove the title of City God and grant the title of "Capital God" to the City God of Kyoto. Others are just called the City God of a certain prefecture, a certain state or a certain county. The Qing Dynasty basically inherited the Ming Dynasty's city god regulations system.
1. Xi'an City God's Temple
Xi'an City God's Temple is the highest level, most influential, and has a history of 620 years. It was against this historical background that it was built by Zhu Yuanzhang himself. , it was personally supervised by Zhu Yuanzhang's second son, King of Qin Zhu Chong, and was expanded on the basis of the palace of the Tang and Liao Dynasties. At the beginning of its construction, it was named the Capital City God Temple by Zhu Yuanzhang, and governed the large and small city gods in the northwest provinces. In the order of City God belief, it is the highest level and has the greatest influence. It has a history of 620 years since its establishment in the 20th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1387 AD). Over the past six hundred years, the City God's Temple has gone through ups and downs, as dynasties have changed. Since the Yuan Dynasty established Beijing as its capital, Xi'an has lost its advantages and glory as a national capital. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the economic center was mainly in the south of the Yangtze River. Shaanxi gradually became a remote and backward region in the northwest. However, the majesty of the Capital City God Temple built by Zhu Yuanzhang remains the same. , majestic as ever. In the first year of Emperor Yongzheng's reign in the Qing Dynasty, the palace was rebuilt on a grand scale and the palace was splendid. In the first year of Emperor Yongzheng's reign in Guanzhong, a fire destroyed most of the buildings in the Capital City God's Temple. General Nian Gengyao, then governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, ordered the demolition of the palaces of the Ming and Qin princes. The Capital God's Temple was rebuilt with the wood from the Prince of Qin's Mansion. After the reconstruction, it was "huge in scale, brilliant in palaces, with green tiles and red sandalwood, exquisite carvings, and a wide foundation, unparalleled in Guanzhong."
In the thirteenth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1887 AD), merchants accidentally caught fire in front of the temple and burned down the mountain gate and the shops in the east and west verandas, causing heavy losses. Ye Boying, the then governor of Shaanxi, personally advocated Raise funds to rebuild. It is particularly regrettable that the Japanese invading army bombed the city of Xi'an in 1942 and dropped two bombs in the City God's Temple, destroying the Tibetan Scripture Pavilion, many precious cultural relics of the Ming Dynasty, calligraphy and painting, "Tao Zang", classics, and drum music. A large number of cultural relics such as ancient genealogies were destroyed, and the northeast corner and rear eaves of the main hall were severely damaged and blown up. The remaining eaves and broken columns, and traces of bullet holes are still vaguely visible. After the liberation, the Chenghuang Temple small department store market was formed, and the drum music became famous all over the world. After the liberation, the Taoists of the Chenghuang Temple actively participated in the upsurge of socialist construction. Due to the good foundation of mass belief in the Chenghuang Temple, on every first day and fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year, there are thousands of believers, shoulder to shoulder, and the surrounding people It is necessary to pass through the border, thus forming the famous Chenghuang Temple small department store market, which effectively promotes the economic prosperity of the entire West Street. During this period, the drum music of the City God Temple became famous all over the world. Many experts and professors from the Chinese Musicians Association and the China Music Research Institute came here to collect and investigate. In 1961, the abbot of the Chenghuang Temple, Anlaixu, was invited to lead the Drum Club to perform in Beijing. He was cordially received by Premier Zhou, which became a historical legend of this period. Taoist priest Anlaixu was included in the "Dictionary of World Music" and became one of the two Chinese folk musicians included in the "Dictionary" in modern history. (The other one is A Bing) Religious activities were forced to suspend during the Cultural Revolution. During the Cultural Revolution, the Four Olds were destroyed, and the Chenghuang Temple was the first to do so. The large archway in front of the temple was demolished by the Xi'an Ancient Construction Team at that time and used as firewood. The copper statue of the City God in the main hall was pushed down and smelted, scriptures and music scores were burned, Taoist musicians in the temple were exiled to the people, religious activities were suspended, and incense was interrupted. After the 1980s, the West Street archway and two shops were restored. After the 1980s, with the reform and opening up, the policy of freedom of religious belief was gradually implemented. The Xi'an Municipal Government attached great importance to it and invested heavily in repairing the West Street archway and two veranda shops. The Taoist priests in the temple were inspired to live frugally and seek alms in many ways. They have restored buildings such as Wenchang Pavilion, Erdao Gate, East and West side halls, and two wing rooms.
2. Chenghuang Temple, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province
Chenghuang Temple, also known as Ningbo Jun Temple, is located in the bustling area of ??the city center. Ningbo City God Temple is one of the largest existing City God temples in my country. The temple was built in the fourth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1371). It suffered fires many times after its completion. The existing temple was rebuilt in the tenth year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty (1884). The county temple has a screen wall, a first gate, two gates, a stage, a main hall, and an apse. The architecture is complete and magnificent. The stage is particularly beautifully built. The stage is on the top of a mountain with a single eaves, and the caisson is in the shape of a chicken cage. It is decorated with carved dragons, painted phoenixes, and red gold decorations. It looks sparkling when viewed from a distance. There are more than 30 inscriptions and Songjing and other historical sites preserved in the county temple. Nowadays, Chenghuang Temple has become the largest shopping mall in Ningbo. There are many shops and snacks here. It is really a good place to understand the folk customs of Ningbo.
3. Chenghuang Temple in Anren County, Hunan Province
The Chenghuang Temple is located in Fenghuang Mountain, Chengguan Town, the county seat. It is an important Taoist activity place in Anren. The Anren County Taoist Association is located in the temple. The presiding officer of the temple is Taoist priest Li Songlin. The Chenghuang Temple is located on the hillside of Phoenix Mountain, facing east and west, surrounded by green mountains. The temple is magnificent and beautifully carved. The aura of Phoenix Mountain also gives the temple infinite vitality. Because of the existence of this temple, Phoenix Mountain has become a paradise on earth where Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism are integrated. According to folklore, the Bodhisattva spirit in Fenghuang Mountain responds to all requests, thus attracting many believers and good women in Bian County to burn incense and worship, and the incense has flourished over the years.
4. Chenghuang Temple, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province
The Chenghuang Temple is located on Zhangye Road, Lanzhou City. Built in the Song Dynasty, it has three halls and is dedicated to the Han general Ji Xin, also known as Ji Xin Temple. After reconstruction in the Ming Dynasty, it was renamed. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty (1736-1795), it was destroyed by fire and later rebuilt. Situated from north to south, it covers an area of ??12,000 square meters and has a construction area of ??4,000 square meters. There are three gates, namely the Zhonglie Houfang, the second gate is a hard-top-style ring-corridor theater, the north is a roll-top resting-top-style enjoyment hall, the rear is a double-eaves resting-top-style main hall, and there are wing rooms, bell and drum towers on the left and right. The original murals under the cloister no longer exist. In 1956, it was established as the first workers club of Lanzhou City.
5. Town God’s Temple, Hongyang Town, Puning City, Guangdong Province
The Town God’s Temple is located in Hongyang, the ancient city of Puning (Hongyang Town was the county seat of Puning in ancient times and entered the fourth batch of Chinese history in 2008 On the northeast side of the Cultural Ancient Town), Xiacaopu in Hongyang City, about 300 meters northeast of the county government office, adjacent to Wenchang Pavilion, was built in the 42nd year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1563). When Puning was established as a county, it has been With a history of more than 400 years, it is an ancient building. Silhouettes of Chenghuang temples in various places (12 photos) In the 34th year of Kangxi, the county magistrate Zhao Mianzhou renovated the central hall and gate tower and verandahs. In the forty-eighth year, Magistrate Andingmei (a native of Xianghong Banner) rebuilt the house of the Sixth Division with two corridors in the back hall. The front and rear were palace-style structures with three halls and two patios. meters, with a total construction area of ??approximately 1,620 square meters. The front hall is the Sanshan Gate, the left and right sides of the gate tower are dedicated to horse officials, the left and right sides of the door wind are clairvoyance and ten thousand liwang, and the main hall of the middle hall is dedicated to the statue of the City God. The back hall is divided into three halls, respectively dedicated to the City God's Lady, the Eighteen Arhats and the Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara, which embodies the Chinese philosophy of integrating Buddhism and Confucianism. There are three rooms in the main hall and the back hall, with a life-release pool in which turtles are stocked. Kapok trees are planted on both sides of the pool. There is an arch bridge in the middle of the pool. There is a towering ancient banyan tree in the courtyard in front of the main hall. The corridors on both sides of the main hall are dedicated to statues of gods. The entire Chenghuang Temple has 108 bottles of statues of Buddhas and gods, large and small.
Every year on the 17th or 18th day of the first lunar month, there will be a "Yingcheng Huanggong" in Hongyang, which is "a grand event where all the Hongyang City Gods and their wives go on a grand trip." The scene is extremely lively. The famous ancient buildings in Hongyang Town include De'anli and so on. Hongyang City God's Temple is adjacent to the "Lin Zexu Memorial Hall" (also known as "Wenchang Pavilion") where Lin Zexu died, and both form the same attraction.
6. Chenghuang Temple, Jieyang City, Guangdong Province
The Chenghuang Temple is located on Chenghuang Road in today’s urban area. It was first built in the Southern Song Dynasty, was later destroyed, and was rebuilt in the second year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1369). There are three mountain gates, worship pavilion, main hall, health pool, stone arch bridge, lady hall, etc. The top of the Temple of the City God is a cantilevered mountain, with three-liter bucket arches between the seven beams and the golden pillars. The four walls of the main hall only play a protective role and do not bear the pressure of the roof. The structure is unique. After earthquakes, although the walls collapsed, the beams remained safe. The carvings of its pillars and beams are bright and vigorous, with both the architectural style of the Ming Dynasty and the characteristics of local traditional art. They are the essence of the historical relics of ancient buildings in Jieyang City. Jieyang City God's Temple is the largest existing ancient building of its kind in Guangdong Province. Located on Chenghuang Street in the east gate of Jieyang, it was built in the 10th year of Shaoxing in the Song Dynasty (1140) and rebuilt by the county magistrate Xu De in the 2nd year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1369). It is a provincial key protected cultural relic unit. The architecture of Jieyang City God's Temple combines the architectural styles of the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the traditional craftsmanship of Chaoshan. The main building is a wood and stone load-bearing structure, and the mechanical structure is scientific and rigorous. The four walls of the hall only serve as a protective function. The building structure has high earthquake resistance. It has survived dozens of earthquakes since the Ming Dynasty and has become a specimen for modern people to study ancient architecture. According to "Jieyang County Chronicle·Tan Temple", the Chenghuang Temple is located in Jieyuanfang in the east of the city, with a depth of 26 feet and a width of 8 feet. The Chenghuang Temple is centered on the main hall, with a central axis running from north to south, with two corridors on the left and right, two wings, and three courtyards. The main buildings include the archway, gate, main hall, bell, drum tower, and apse (lady's hall), with a total area of ??more than 2,000 square meters.
7. Chenghuang Temple, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province
It is located in the north of Shangcheng Road, Zhengzhou City (full name: Chenghuang Lingyouhou Temple). It was built in the early Ming Dynasty and rebuilt in the 14th year of Hongzhi (1501). It has been repaired many times since then. The temple faces south and its main buildings include the mountain gate, front hall, music tower, main hall, and bedrooms. The buildings are all covered with glazed tiles, with rolled sheds and cornices protruding from all sides. They are exquisite in shape and compact in structure. The Lelou is 15 meters high. It is a two-story mountain-style building. There are several dragons embossed on the main ridge, phoenixes flying up and down, and lotus flowers and lions on the left and right. There are several rolling dragons carved on both sides, and they are decorated with phoenixes and peonies; the hall is engraved with "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" and green pines and cypresses, figures, birds and animals. The composition is harmonious, exquisite and lifelike.
8. Town God’s Temple in Changzhi City, Shanxi Province
The Town God’s Temple in Lu’an Prefecture is located in Miao Road Lane, Dabei Street, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province. It was founded in the 22nd year of Yuan Dynasty (1285), and rebuilt in the 5th year of Hongzhi in the Ming Dynasty (1492) and the 14th year of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty (1834). The existing main hall and corner hall of the City God's Temple were built in the Yuan Dynasty, the dormitory, theater, Xuanjian Tower, etc. were built in the Ming Dynasty, and the verandas and ear halls were built in the Qing Dynasty. The City God Temple was built to worship the City God, who is the god who protects the city in ancient myths and legends. The Chenghuang Temple covers an area of ??12,229 square meters and has a construction area of ??5,175.03 square meters. The longitudinal axis is 408 meters long. From south to north, there are six dragon walls, Hongmen, wooden archway, stone archway, mountain gate, heavy tower (Xuanjian Tower), theater building, Xianting, central hall, bedroom and the east and west of each courtyard. Buildings such as side halls and corridors.
9. Chenghuang Temple, Anyang City, Henan Province
Taoist temple. On Gulou East Street in the ancient city of Anyang City, Henan Province. The year of its initial construction is unknown; it was rebuilt in the second year of Hongwu (1369) in the Ming Dynasty. The temple faces south from the north, and now only the archway, gate, five main halls, and east and west wings and other buildings remain. Most of them were rebuilt in 1982. It used to be a place for worshiping the City God, and is now one of the famous historic sites in Anyang City.
10. City God Temple in Huizhou City, Guangdong Province
The City God Temple is located on the west side of Pinghai Ancient City. The temple has a construction area of ??430 square meters and was first built in the third year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1405). It has been rebuilt many times. It was completely demolished during the "Cultural Revolution". In the late 1980s, it was rebuilt with donations from local people and Hong Kong compatriots. The Chenghuang Temple has exquisite architecture, with vivid stories of historical figures carved around the eaves of each floor. From the temple gate to the eaves, statues, desks, couplets, inscriptions, sculptures, etc., they all retain the artistic characteristics of ancient architecture. Their texts and paintings are full of the consciousness of exhorting people to avoid evil and do good. There is the City God Tower in front of the temple and the City God Pavilion on the right, which is 6 meters high and has a three-story structure. There is a stage and an open-air square that can accommodate 2,000 people in the front right corner.
11. Chenghuang Temple, Tainan City, Taiwan
The Chenghuang Temple is located at No. 133, Qingshui Road, Qingshui Lane, Central District, Tainan City, Taiwan. Taiwan was originally a prefecture under the jurisdiction of Fujian Province, hence the name (Fuchenghuang Temple) ) is the earliest Chenghuang Temple built in Taiwan. It was built on the 23rd year of Yongli in the Ming Dynasty and was restored several times in the Qing Dynasty. The temple is dedicated to the City God and twenty-four priests. Although the temple is small, it is very popular. On the 11th day of the fifth lunar month, there is an endless stream of people praying for Christmas blessings and making wishes from the City God. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, it was one of the seven major temples and eight temples in Taiwan. It is now listed as a Grade II historic site in Taiwan.
12. Chenghuang Temple, Penghu County, Taiwan Province
Taoist temple. It is located at No. 20, Guangming Road, Chongqing, Jumagong Town, Penghu, Taiwan.
According to "Taiwan Temple Grand View", it was founded in the early Qing Dynasty and was renovated and expanded in the 24th year of Qianlong's reign (1759). In the 4th year of Tongzhi's reign (1865), local literati established a preaching club in the inner hall of the temple, and then established the Yushan Hall. Secondly, the Deshan Hall was built as a counterpart to each other. In the twelfth year of Guangxu (1886), it was renovated and a screen wall in front of the temple was added. After that, it was rebuilt and repaired twice. The temple has a four-entry layout and covers an area of ??more than 400 square meters. The main buildings include the worship hall, the main hall and the guard rooms on both sides. The Sanchuan Hall has a flying swallow tail, pointing straight into the sky. It is covered with red tiles and has no carvings. It is simple and elegant. In the center of the shrine in the main hall, the city god is worshiped. He has a red face and black beard. He is gentle and elegant, with civil and military judges standing around. There is a hanging hanging between the beams of the hall. The large abacus is inscribed with the words "There is no need to care about worldly things, God and Heaven will take care of the Mahayana." Walking along the water corridor, you can see the guard rooms on both sides, which are dedicated to the subordinate gods and generals of the City God. The Seventh Master Xie Bian, the Eighth Master Fan Wujiu, the Four Generals, the Zhulu Division, the Yin and Yang Division, the Praising the Good Division, the Zhusushi Division, the Quick Reporting Division and the Punishing Division, etc. The gods have different faces, holding instruments of torture, and are mighty and brave. Chilling.
13. Town God’s Temple in Sanyuan County, Shaanxi Province
The Town God’s Temple is located in the middle of Dongqu’an Street in Sanyuan County. It was first built in the eighth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1375) and has been renovated and added nine times over the past 600 years. It is one of the most complete ancient architectural complexes of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in my country, with a total construction area of ??13,000 square meters. It is now a key cultural relic protection unit in Shaanxi Province. The City God is the god who protects the city in ancient mythology. He was later believed in by Taoism. From the Three Kingdoms to the end of the Qing Dynasty, temples were built for worship. Sanyuan City God Temple enshrines Li Jing, a famous general from Sanyuan in the Tang Dynasty. The Sanyuan City God's Temple is second to none in the country for its huge scale and majestic architecture. The City God's Temple is a palace-style building, with more than 40 individual buildings such as buildings, halls, corridors, verandas, squares, and pavilions arranged in a balanced and symmetrical manner on the vertical and horizontal axes. The five corridors and courtyards extend in depth and on both sides. There are three gates, four rows of squares and five double-eaves palaces on the central axis. The main buildings such as Yingmen, Theater Tower, Bell and Drum Tower, Presentation Hall, Worship Hall, Accompanying Hall, and Sleeping Hall each have their own characteristics. All the buildings have glazed roofs, carved beams and painted pillars, and are as magnificent as palaces. They reflect the characteristics of ancient Chinese buildings with regular plane outlines, reasonable overall layout, rigorous structure, proper density, exquisite carvings, and elegant decorations. The Sanyuan County Museum is located in the Chenghuang Temple. It collects nearly 3,000 precious cultural relics and more than 100 inscriptions. Among them, Yue Fei's "Chu Shi Biao" and the authentic calligraphy of Yu Youren (a native of Sanyuan) are world-renowned.
14. Hsinchu City God’s Temple, Taiwan
Introduction to Hsinchu City God’s Temple
Hsinchu City God’s Temple is located on Zhongshan Road, North District, Hsinchu City, and is listed as a Grade II historic site. The scale of its temple was the largest in Taiwan at that time. The city god who was responsible for the rewards and punishments of good and evil in the underworld and the underworld was the City God, so the layout of the City God's Temple was like an ancient government office. The market food stalls in the temple of the City God's Temple in Hsinchu have become one of the characteristics of Hsinchu.
The historical development of the Hsinchu City God Temple
The Hsinchu City God Temple was founded in the 13th year of Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1748 AD). However, the government was still in Hsinchu, so the city god was promoted to the city god (appeasement lord), and he was known as the "Hsinchu City God, Beigang Mazu Po". By 1891, all Taiwan officials and citizens held a national protection ceremony here. In order to pray for the people to ward off disasters, the title was changed the following year to "Jin Feng Wei Ling Gong, Hsinchu Capital City God". It is the only capital city god temple in Taiwan and the only provincial city god temple. It also appeared to ward off bandits. For his meritorious service, Emperor Guangxu awarded him a plaque with the title "Kinmen Guarantee", which became one of the important cultural relics of the City God Temple in Hsinchu City. Later, he was successively awarded by successive emperors and became the City God with the highest official position in Taiwan.
The architectural style of the Hsinchu City God Temple
The Hsinchu City God Temple has been renovated many times. The appearance we see today was built in the 13th year of the Republic of China. The Sanchuan Hall and the three-fold roof are the most distinctive. Characteristically, the carvings of the civil and military judges Fan, General Xie and the four policemen in the temple are even more exquisite and lifelike; the large iron abacus hanging on the roof beam is said to be used by the city god to calculate the sins of the world, so the couplet on both sides reads "What is the need of the world?" Don't worry, God has his own Mahayana. The stone lions and other carvings in front of the Hsinchu City God's Temple are of artistic value. The dragon pillar is the work of Taipei's famous teacher Xin Ajiu. The carvings are delicate and vivid. Entering the Bagua caisson above the gate, it is It is a work of great historical significance, created by Wang Yishun, a great carpenter from Huian, Quanzhou.
15. Shanghai City God's Temple
Among the many Taoist temples in Shanghai, the Shanghai City God's Temple is famous for its long history and magnificent architecture, and enjoys a high reputation at home and abroad.
Old Town God's Temple in Huangpu District
Shanghai Old Town God's Temple is located in the most prosperous Town God's Temple tourist area in Shanghai. It is an important Taoist temple in Shanghai. It was first built during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty (1403- 1424), which has a history of nearly 600 years. From Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1403-1424) to Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty (1821-1850), the temple base of the Shanghai City God Temple continued to expand, and the number of palace buildings continued to increase. In its most prosperous period, the total area reached 49.9 acres of land, about 33,000 square meters. . As an important Taoist temple in Shanghai, the Shanghai City God Temple naturally suffered a major blow during the Cultural Revolution. The statues were destroyed and the temple was used for other purposes. In 1994, with the gradual implementation of the policy of freedom of religious belief, the Shanghai City God Temple was restored and became a Taoist temple managed by Zhengyi Taoist priests.
In 2005, the right to use the front wing of the main hall of Shanghai City God Temple was returned, and the second phase of the restoration project began immediately. Today's Shanghai City God's Temple includes nine halls: Huoguang Hall, Jiazi Hall, Caishen Hall, Cihang Hall, City God's Hall, Empress Hall, Parents' Hall, Guansheng Hall, and Wenchang Hall, with a total area of ??about 2,000 square meters.
16. Town God’s Temple in Ruicheng County, Shanxi Province
The Town God’s Temple is located on Ruicheng South Street and is also the location of the Ruicheng Museum. It was built in the Xiangfu period of Dazhong in the Song Dynasty (1008~1016), and rebuilt in the 6th year of Jingtai in the Ming Dynasty (1455). It was rebuilt in the ninth year (1829) and additionally repaired in the first year of Xianfeng (1851). After thousands of years of war, war and erosion, it is a miracle that the Chenghuang Temple, which has concentrated the architectural styles of the Song, Yuan and Qing dynasties, has survived to this day. Xiangting Pavilion is a relic of the Yuan Dynasty, commonly known as the "grandstand". It has thick and short pillars, huge brackets, and a rough and vigorous architectural shape. The simple appearance has strong early architectural characteristics, making people feel the turbulent Jin and Yuan Dynasties at a glance. Rough but beautiful construction craftsmanship. Between the Xian Hall and the Xiang Pavilion are the east and west wing rooms, which are symmetrical from left to right, with nine rooms in width and one room in depth. The Xian Hall is five rooms wide and two rooms deep. It has four exposed pillars and a corridor on the front eaves. There is a door in the middle leading to the main hall and a rolling shed roof. It was built in the Qing Dynasty. The most exciting thing is undoubtedly the main hall, which is five rooms wide and three rooms deep. The capitals have scroll brakes, the columns have side angles, and the capitals and brackets are made of five pavilions with double undersides. The roof lifts and folds gently, the brackets are large, and the arches are clear, which are typical regulations of the Song Dynasty. The "Two Dragons Playing with Pearls" glazed hanging plate in the Xieshan part was made in the Ming Dynasty. It is magnificent, dignified and solemn. The glazed owl kisses and glazed ridge decorations are colorful and exquisite. They are rare works in ancient architecture. The shape of the main hall is simple, elegant and majestic. Although a small number of components have been replaced over the years, the large wooden components and brackets are still relics of the Song Dynasty. It stands in the middle of this group of buildings, like a noble lady, its grace and splendor are self-evident. The Stele Langli collects and displays 98 famous steles, statue steles, and epitaphs from the Northern Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, which are of extremely precious reference value for the study of ancient Chinese culture. The collection of cultural relics also includes a large-scale panoramic silk screen "Guo Ziyi's Birthday Celebration", ink scrolls by famous artists such as Wu Zhen, Mi Fu and Dong Qichang, as well as precious cultural relics such as the sword presented by the patriotic general Yang Hucheng. Wandering here, from the bricks and stones, from the beams and brackets, the rich atmosphere of ancient culture hits your face.
17. Town God’s Temple in Heshan City, Guangdong Province
Located at the west end of Kunyuan Road in Heshan Town (Gulao Village), it was built in the 11th year of Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty (1733) and was the county seat in the early days of the county. It is the only preserved temple among the "Ten Temples and Eight Temples" in the inner city. Originally covering an area of ??about 700 square meters, the temple was divided into three buildings: front, middle and back, separated by two wells. The front building was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, and now only the back building remains. There are tile coverings on both sides of the patio. On the right side are the "Earth Protector God", "The God of Fading at First Sight" (Jigong), "The God of Marshal Zhao", and "The God of Blessing and Longevity"; on the left side are the "Spirit Gods" , "The God of the Second Prince", "The God of the Five Princes", "God of Bao Gong", "God of the Longevity Star", and "God of Tai Sui". There are two upright stone pillars in front of the back seat, with a pair of couplets engraved on them, which are vigorous and powerful handwritings of the Qing Dynasty. The first couplet: "Having admired the gods for a long time, we have diverged from the water tribe burning rhinoceros", the second couplet: "Rebuilding the appearance of the temple, and now the mountain city dominates the famous area of ??Heyong Town." There are two horsemen (soldiers) on both sides of the door holding their horses, waiting at any time. In the back temple, there are four round teak columns with a diameter of 40 cm, supporting the upper cover, and the column bases are flower basket-style stone pedestals. The Jade Emperor is placed in the center of the hall, with the City God on the right and Lord Wenchang on the left. Incense flourishes every day. There is an endless stream of tourists.
Wait, there are many~~~~~~