City Temple of Shanghai
上海城隍庙
Aerial view of the City God Temple
Religion
Affiliation	Taoism
District	Huangpu
Deity	Shanghai city gods
Status	Open
Location
Location	249 Fangbang Middle Road,Shanghai
Country	China
Shown within China
Coordinates	31°13′40″N121°29′17″E / 31.22778°N 121.48806°E /31.22778; 121.48806
Architecture
Completed	1403; 623 years ago (1403)

TheCity God Temple orTemple of the City Gods (Chinese:上海城隍庙;pinyin:Shànghǎi Chénghuángmiào;Shanghainese:Zånhae Zenwånmio), officially theCity Temple of Shanghai,^[1] is aChinese folk religion,Taoist andcity god temple located in theold city ofShanghai. It commemorates the elevation of Shanghai to municipal status and is the site of the veneration of three Chinese figures honored as thecity gods of the town. It is also known by some locals as the "Old City God Temple", in reference to a later "New City God Temple" which no longer exists.

In Chinese, "Chenghuangmiao" is also used as the name of the commercial district near the temple. This is generally known in English asYu Garden, after the nearby Chinese garden.^[2]

Regardless of size, manywalled cities in ancient China contained a temple dedicated to one or more immortal or god as the spirit(s) or protector(s) of the city.

The City God Temple in Shanghai originated as theJinshan God Temple, dedicated to the spirit of Jinshan, or "Gold Mountain", an island off the coast of Shanghai. It was converted into a City God Temple in 1403, during theYongle Emperor era.

Residents of the old city as well as nearby areas visited the temple to pray for good fortune and peace. The temple reached its largest extent in theDaoguang era. The popularity of the temple also led to many businesses being set up in the area, turning the surrounding streets into a busy marketplace.

During theCultural Revolution, the temple was closed down and used for other purposes. For many years, the main hall was used as a jewellery shop.

In 1951, the Board of Trustees of the City God Temple was dissolved, and the temple was handed over to the Shanghai Taoist Association and made into aTaoist center. The institution made changes to the temple, removing statues representing folkunderworld personalities such asYama, the judge of the dead, and placing an emphasis on Taoist spirituality instead.

In 1994, the temple was restored to its former use as a temple, with resident Taoist priests. The Temple, together with nearby and the surrounding streets, are now part of a large pedestrian zone dedicated to restaurants and retail.

A complete restoration of the City God Temple took place between 2005 and 2006. In October 2006, the place of worship was reopened and reconsecrated by Taoist clergymen.^[3]

The temple is dedicated to three city gods:

• Huo Guang (d. 68 BC) was a famousHan dynasty chancellor. He is remembered for his role in deposing one young emperor and replacing him with another. Huo Guang was the original City God for the County of Shanghai from theYuan dynasty.
• Qin Yubo (1295–1373) lived in Shanghai and served in the late Yuan dynasty civil service. When theHongwu Emperor founded theMing dynasty, he resisted two summons to serve at the court. He finally relented, and served in various roles including chiefImperial examiner. After his death, he was anointed City God of Shanghai by theHongwu Emperor.
• Chen Huacheng (1776–1842) was aQing dynasty general, responsible for the defence ofShanghai during theFirst Opium War. He vowed to defend theYangtze to the death, and was killed in battle against theBritish.

During theSino-Japanese War, the old city was occupied by theJapanese while, initially, they left theforeign concessions alone. As a result, worshippers from the concessions were cut off from the temple. As a response, local merchants built a new temple and attached a market place near what is todayYan'an Road and Jinling Road, in theShanghai International Settlement. This was known as the "New City God Temple". After the end ofWorld War II, the New City God Temple waned in popularity as worshippers shifted back to the Old City God Temple. The new temple and markets were demolished in 1972. However, the "New City God Temple" remains in use referring to the locality around the site of that temple.

• Tutelary deity

• Shanghai Local History Office.老城隍庙 (Old City God Temple). Shanghai Tong. Accessed 13 May 2007.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toCity God Temple of Shanghai.

• Official website(in Chinese)
• City God Temple (Chenghuangmiao)
• City God Temple

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• Landmarks in Shanghai
• Religious buildings and structures in Shanghai
• Religion in Shanghai
• Taoist temples in Shanghai
• Tourist attractions in Shanghai
• City God temples in China

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