The Chenghuang temple is a Taoist temple, also called Yi temple, which is constructed with many halls such as the grand hall, middle hall, bedroom palace, star gods hall, Yama palace, Xuzhen god hall and so on. The Chenghuang temple covers an area of more than 10,000 square meters. There are two famous gardens inside the temple – West garden (Yu garden) and East garden.
Jiaxi Gu, 111101212, Class 4
Chenghuang Temple is a major yet relatively inactive, Taoist temple in Shanghai. It is located in the area south of Yan’an Road on the Fangbang Zhong Road.
During the Ming Dynasty, Zhangshouyue, the head of Shanghai County, dedicated a temple to the local city god. Since then, the Chenghuang Temple has been destroyed several times and the current temple was built in 1926. During the war of resistance against Japanese invasion during World War II, local merchants built a new Chenghuang Temple in the Foreign Concession (between Lianyun Road and West Jinling Road).
That area is now a high-rise residence building. The “former” temple is known as the Old City God’s Temple. The Old City God’s Temple and the enclose Yuyuan are not only famous tourist sites but also popular shopping attractions. There are boutiques, shops selling local specialties, as well as large jewelry stores, department stores and fabulous local snack restaurants to be found here.
Where to eat?
Chenghuang Temple Snack Street
Located in Huangpu District, the Old Town God Temple Snack Street is about ten minutes’ walk away from the South Bund Area. It is an ideal dining place during your compact sightseeing schedule.
The Old Town God Temple area deserves the name of ‘Shanghai Snack Kingdom’. It is a time-honored and the largest snack street featuring the most famous restaurants and eateries in Shanghai. In accordance with the architectural style of the nearby ancient Yuyuan Garden, restaurants in the Old Town God Temple Snack Street are all constructed following a style of Ming and Qing Dynasties.
In addition, a snack plaza of thousands of square meters is included. You can almost find all the Shanghai snacks here, including Nanxiang Steamed Stuffed Buns, Crab-Yellow Pastries, Fried Stuffed Buns, Chop Rice Cakes, Vegetable Stuffed Buns, and Cream Spiced Beans. Various snacks of other areas in China are also available.
History
Regardless of size, numerous walled cities in antique China had a temple devoted to one or more immortal or god as the spirit or guard of the city.
The City God Shrine in Shanghai, built as the Jinshan God Temple, devoted to the spirit of Jinshan, or “Gold Mountain”, and landmass off the shore of Shanghai. It was rehabilitated to City God Temple in 1403, through the Yongle period of the Ming family.
Throughout the Qing Family, the shrine grew popular. Inhabitants of the ancient city, in addition to areas nearby, visited the holy place to pray for decent, destiny, and peace. The place of worship reached its main extent in the Daoguang period. The admiration of the holy place also extended too many trades that set up in the area, moving the near streets into a busy market.
Travel information
Location: 247 Middle Fangbang Road, Huangpu, Shanghai
Bus Routes: bus 66, 11, 23, 24, 43, 782
Open Hours: 8:30am－16:00pm
Admission Fee: RMB 5
Evaluation: A saying goes like this: one can’t boast that he had been to Shanghai if he did not pay a visit to Chenghuang temple.
Surrounding: There are chenxiang pavilion of the Buddha, Xiaotaoyuan temple of the Islam, Guanyu temple of the Tai, and ruose church of the Catholicism besides the Chenghuang temple in the Yu garden area.
Recommendation Index: ☆☆☆☆
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