Attractions >> Shanghai >> Shanghai Attractions

Shanghai Chenghuang Temple

The Chenghuang Temple, one of the top must-see attractions in Shanghai is a Taoist temple. It was first constructed during the Yongle reign (1403-1424) of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). After its construction, many followers came here to burn joss sticks and carry out other religious activities. The most prosperous period of the temple was the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It is a most famous historical site of Shanghai City now. Furthermore, it is also a famous venue for religious activities in the world and an important window for foreigners to understand China's religious culture.

In ancient times, people believed that each city had a fairy to manage. This fairy is Chenghuang, the City God. There are many Chenghuang temples in China to enshrine the local deities to pray for local safety and meet people's other wishes. So-called Cheng means the city wall, Huang means the city moat, and the Chenghuang temple refers to the temple used to enshrine local gnomes. The gnome Qin Yubo of Shanghai City is enshrined in the Shanghai Chenghuang Temple. The Chenghuang Temple had been destroyed many times because of fire and war, and it was rebuilt into a reinforced concrete structure in 1926. The local government rebuilt it in the early 1980s. The current Chenghuang Temple is a typical magnificent building of Chinese style. The main hall has turnup eaves, three-dimensional brick carvings are standing at the two sides of the door with figures of famous ancient generals on the bricks respectively (General Huang Zhong is on the left and General Guan Yu is on the right), and there are three embossments on the ridge of the main hall.

location: 247 middle fangbang road
bus routes: bus 66, 11, 23, 24, 43, 782
open hours: 8:30am-16:00pm
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.

Edited By Athena Lee