City God - Shanghai City Gods

Shanghai City Gods

The City God Temple in the city of Shanghai is known as the "Old City God Temple", but it was originally called the "Jinshan God Temple" and dedicated to the spirit of Jinshan. Jinshan, or "Gold Mountain", is an island off the coast of Shanghai and was converted into a City God temple in 1403, during the Ming Dynasty. The "Old City God Temple" is located by the Yuyuan Gardens in Shanghai. It grew into a very popular site for citizens to come to pray and ask favors of the city god. In 1951 The Board of the Trustees of the City God temple fell apart and the Shanghai Taoist Association decided to put the focus of the temple onto Taoist tradition. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, (1937–1945) Shanghai was taken over by Japanese soldiers and due to them citizens were unable to get to the "Old City Temple" so the local people decided to build a "New City God Temple". After the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II the "New City God Temple" became less popular because people preferred to worship at "The Old City God Temple". The "New City God Temple" was destroyed in 1972.

The "Old City God Temple" is dedicated to three different gods: Huo Guang, Qin Yubo, and Chen Huacheng. Huo Guang (d. 68 BCE) was a famous general and chancellor of the Han Dynasty. Little is known Huo Guang's life, but he is remembered for overthrowing a young emperor in favor of a new one. He was appointed as the original city god of Shanghai in the Yuan Dynasty. Qin Yubo (1295–1373) lived in Shanghai during the Yuan Dynasty and worked in the civil service. Qin Yubo had many roles in the government, including Chief Imperial Examiner. After he died the emperor bestowed upon him the honor of being a city god in Shanghai. Chen Huacheng (1776–1842) was a Qing Dynasty general who is remembered as being brave and courageous. He fought in the First Opium War and was adamant in his defense of the Yangtze. He was killed in 1842 in a battle against the British. The "Old City Temple" is one of Shanghai's most famous attractions and is the center of a retail and entertainment district.