Town God's Temple, Guangzhou

Town God's Temple, Guangzhou

Town God's Temple, Guangzhou, was built in the three year (1370) of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty. It was the largest and most magnificent Town God's Temple in south of the Five Ridges during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. As one of the most important gods worshipped in ancient Chinese national religious culture, the City God is mostly played by famous officials and heroes who have made contributions to the local people. It is believed that the City God is the God of protecting the city by Chinese folk and Taoism.

According to historical records, the city god of the Guangzhou government was visited by the provincial governor, and its status was higher than that of other provincial cities in the province. During the Qing Dynasty, Yong Zheng was upgraded to the capital city of Guangzhou, and the Guangzhou government Town God's Temple was upgraded to Town God's Temple. The original Town God's Temple has the instrument gate, the middle gate, the worship Pavilion, the main hall, and so on. When the temple was built in 1920, the building was demolished before the pavilion was paved, and a street of 280 meters was paved. Town God's Temple also demolished the main hall and the pavilion. In 1993, it was listed as a cultural relic protection unit at the municipal level in Guangzhou and is not open to the public. Since October 31, 2010, it has been officially open to the public free of charge.

Introduction to architecture

Guangzhou Town God's Temple in Zhongshan Road four on the main street, originally dedicated to guarding the City God Temple altar. The City God is one of the most important gods worshipped in ancient religious culture. It is the God who protects the city and protects the people. Town God's Temple hosts the City God, and has twenty-four judges. Among the 24 divisions, hell is a deterrent. Town God's Temple, Guangzhou, was built in the Ming Dynasty. It was a landmark building in Guangzhou during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, compared with Town God's Temple in Beijing. Town God's Temple is rotten, it can be said that it is the resurrection of glory. In the Town God's Temple hall with a clear height of twelve meters, four high two meters high immortals mahogany lanterns are hanging up. Three of the City God with real gold and gold foil has returned to the throne, but they are covered with red cloth, and later on, we can see the true colors of Mount Lu. The walls on both sides of the main hall are inlaid with a large mural, the creation of heaven and earth. It took thirty or forty painters half a year to make it. It is more than eight meters high and may be the largest mural in the province.

The overhaul of Town God's Temple can be said to have gathered the most elite elements of South of the Five Ridges architecture. Three carved, two plastic, one color exquisite craft can be seen everywhere. Town God's Temple also used Fujian granite and Southeast Asia pineapple to build the Ming and Qing style of the wishful archway archway.

Town God's Temple was originally a temple dedicated to guarding the gods of the city. According to the annals of Nanhai County compiled in the reign of Daoguang, in the third year of Hongwu (1370) of the Ming Dynasty, the gods of the world were granted by imperial edict, stipulating that all prefectures, prefectures and counties should set up the gods of the City God, who were worshipped by the wooden master before, and then molded the statues of the gods, and worshipped at the Qingming Festival, the 15th of July and the first day of October every year. Town God's Temple was first built in the early years of Ming Hongwu, and after many rebuilt, the pre-existing building is the mid Qing style. With the passage of time, most of the old buildings have disappeared, only the main hall and the worship pavilion are still there. Baiting green glazed tile top, 6.2 meters wide, 7 meters deep, 9 frames, 4 eaves columns and 4 gold columns, are granite plaster horn ridge columns. Lifting beam structure beam, with Ruyi pattern hump Dougong undertake, carving more fine. The main hall is a herringbone gable with steep tile slope. The main hall and baiting are well preserved. Now it is the workshop of Guangzhou test instrument factory. Since October 31, 2010, it has been officially open to the public free of charge.

architectural culture

Town God's Temple

Only a short while ago, Town God's Temple, Guangzhou, has been fading away from the modern life. But once upon a time, it was the soul of the city. It is not only the Lantern Festival in the first month, the birthday of the City God, the Tomb Sweeping Day, the 15th of July and the 15th of October that the official government and yamen hold official sacrifices as a rule, but also the folk temple fairs held at other times are full of pilgrims and lively. Grief at separation and joy in union is a charity. Town God's Temple is a charity court. It is a cottage court. Town God's Temple is a copycat court. It is fair to handle justice and settle disputes. Town God's Temple is the great joy of the Grand Theater, Chunchentakako, the women of the festival, the entertainment of the masses, the education of the mob, and the last refuge of the poor. Town God's Temple is also like churches, the marriage and funeral of ordinary families, the ups and downs in official circles, the ups and downs of business, profits and losses in business, which can be found here to bless and comfort. Not only do new officials take office in front of the City God, but even even the executioner of the execution field. After the execution, they must also bypass the burning incense sticks of Town God's Temple, so that the City God can take the spirits behind them. Town God's Temple was once a place where people in the city could not get around in life and spirit.

As an ancient Chinese folk belief, city god worship is accompanied by the city. No city, no City God.

The original meaning of "city" is a high wall built of earth. Outside the high wall, a deep ditch is dug. If there is water, it is a "pool". If there is no water, it is a "God". The city and the God constitute the safest protective barrier for the government and the "citizens" in the cold weapon era. Therefore, as far back as the time of Confucius, on New Year's Eve, people had to solemnly "wax sacrifice to the eight gods", the seventh of which is Shuiyong, the City God. Because water is the God and mediocrity is the city. In Guangzhou people's colloquial language, there is a saying that "the water ghost rises to the City God" to describe a person's bad luck. However, the City God is originally a water ghost.

The first person of Chenghuang culture

The earliest Town God's Temple with historical records in Wuhu, Anhui, was built in 1770 when it was built by Sun Quan in the Three Kingdoms.

In Sui, Tang, song and Yuan Dynasties, the worship of City God was quite common. In Taiping Guangji, there was a saying that "every state and county must have City God", and there was also a record of Guangzhou City God. Not only did Du Fu, Han Yu, Zhang Jiuling, Du Mu, Li Shangyin and others all sacrifice the poems of the City God, but many scenes in the song and Yuan script and the heroes of the marsh were also staged in and out of Town God's Temple.

However, when it comes to the contribution to the city god culture, the first person in ancient and modern times is the Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang.

When Emperor Zhu came to Nanjing, the Dragon chair under his buttocks was not yet hot, so it was convenient for him to issue imperial edicts to the city god of the world in that year (the first year of Hongwu) and the following year. He changed the confusion of the towns and gods in the past, unclear powers and unordered levels, and wisely sealed the sacrifices of the soldiers in the war to become masters of the City God. He strictly stipulated the four levels of the cities, prefectures, prefectures and counties, and ordered all the gods in all parts of Town God's Temple to be miscellaneous. In a disastrous state, bamboo shoots after a spring rain, he is committed to rebuilding Town God's Temple, which is quite large, and is completely comparable to the Yamen of local authorities. It has also made the banner of clothing according to the level. More than 1000 Town God's Temple provinces have sprung up all over the country. Located in Zhongshan today, four Guangzhou Road, 48 Town God's Temple, Guangzhou Town God's Temple is the product of the "City God wind", built in Hongwu three years.

Many people explain why Zhu Yuanzhang was so keen on conferring the title of City God. He was born in a local temple from a poor family background, so he respected the City God, the superior of the land God. This statement is very suspicious, even a little funny, because it is too grassroots. It is just like attributing Zhu Yuanzhang's Taoism theory to "everyone's surname is Zhu", which overestimates the petty bourgeoisie sentiment of this wild hero and greatly underestimates the political wisdom of a founding monarch.

In fact, the Emperor himself made his relationship with the city god clear in his dialogue with the Minister Song Lian: "I set up the City God to make people know how to be afraid; if people are afraid, they dare not act rashly." That's what a politician really wants. From then on, the official ideology of "making people afraid, making people afraid, and making people dare not act recklessly" penetrated into the statues of the City God, which was originally just a folk belief, forming the core and most wonderful part of the city god culture.

The cultural echo in the uproar

From a simple local patron saint of one state and one county, it has gradually evolved into a system of deities worshipped by the whole nation, which protects the country and pacifies the people, punishes the evil and promotes the good, and leads the souls of the dead in the underworld. The status and treatment of the City God have changed, but the temper of being the master of the people and eliminating the evil has not changed. The high hanging plaque and couplets in Town God's Temple clearly show this. "Strict discipline", "noble righteousness", "protecting the country and protecting the people" and "selfless in our place" are vivid portraits of honest and upright officials and officials. Who can see them with admiration? As a matter of fact, the city gods of all places are indeed filled by admirable heroes and gentlemen, such as Suzhou City God Chunshen, Huang Xie, Hangzhou City God Wen Tianxiang, Quanzhou City God Han Qi, Shaoxing City God Pang Yu, Beijing City God Yangjiaoshan, Fuzhou City God Zhou que, Zhengzhou City God Jixin, Shanghai City God Qin Yubo, Guilin City God Su Yan They are all famous officials and generals.

If the mouth of the City God is to be used to wake up the world, the couplets of Town God's Temple will be filled with the pillars of the corridor. Which one can see mentally disturbed?

It's no use burning incense when you do evil things,

Why don't you look at me with integrity?

To be a good man, the heart is in the body and the dream is stable;

To do good deeds, heaven knows and earth learns from ghosts and gods.

In the third world, it is up to you to accumulate good and do evil;

Since ancient times, who has been let go?

Whether ghosts and gods exist or not and whether retribution is real or not has always been a difficult proposition in Chinese culture, which is characterized by the indifference of Confucianism and religion. However, these metaphysical problems, which can not be explained clearly, became indisputable in the City God's stopping drinking

What kind of revenge, what kind of iniquity, what kind of life harm, in order to let you overturn right and wrong for half a life, even boast power in hand;

He has gained all the profits, sold all the fame and lost all the conscience. Let's see that his glory and wealth will eventually lead to rain.

In my impression, the couplets in Town God's Temple are better than those in Buddhist temples.

Chinese PinYin : Guang Zhou Cheng Huang Miao