Old Shanghai 200 Old Photos

Author: Li Xin / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: In China, every town has a guardian deity known as the "Chenghuang Shen" (City God). Shanghai is no exception. However, the Chenghuang Temple in Shanghai enshrines two deities—"Huo" in the front hall and "Qin" in the back hall. "Huo" refers to Huo Guang, a figure from the Han Dynasty, who was the earliest "Chenghuang Shen" to be moved from the Jinshan Temple to Shanghai. "Qin" refers to Qin Yubo, a native of Shanghai who served as an official during the Yuan Dynasty but refused to serve under Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty. As a result, Zhu Yuanzhang issued an order: "You were not my subject in life, so you shall guard my land in death." Thus, Qin Yubo became the new "Chenghuang Shen" of Shanghai and was enshrined in the temple.
The Chenghuang Temple, like the Yuyuan Garden, is rich in commercial culture, making it a symbol of Shanghai's old city. In front of the temple, a pair of couplets is hung high, urging people to always act with integrity and goodness:
"Be a good person, and your heart will be at peace;
Do good deeds, and heaven, earth, and spirits will witness."
The Old Chenghuang Temple was once the gathering place of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, hosting over 20 trade associations at its peak. People here exchanged various information, making it the economic and cultural center of the old city. The temple was always bustling with incense offerings day and night.
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