City God Temple of Shanghai 上海城隍庙

The City God Temple, or Chenghuangmiao, stands on Fangbang Middle Road in Huangpu district, in the old-town quarter just south of Yu Garden. It is one of Shanghai's best-known Taoist temples and is counted among the three famous temples along the Yangtze River, with a history of more than six hundred years. Work on the site began in the Three Kingdoms period, and during the Yongle reign of the Ming dynasty it became a City God Temple. In Taoist belief the city god guards the city itself, and Shanghai's is Qin Yubo, a local figure of the late Yuan and early Ming whom the Ming emperor Zhu Yuanzhang commanded to watch over the place after his death.

A memorial archway raised in 1535 and a stage built in 1865 still stand, and the temple also puts on traditional performances such as acrobatics. Inside, halls honour the city god and his family, the sixty deities of the cycle, Lord Guan, Wenchang and the goddess of mercy, among others. The main hall holds a seated image of General Huo Guang, while the City God Hall, laid out like a Ming magistrate's courtroom, enshrines a red-faced wooden statue of the city god. Carved screen walls and stone lions polished by countless hands carry stories of their own.

Don't miss

• Mountain Gate of 1535 with its 'protect the coastline' plaque
• City God Hall arranged like a Ming magistrate's courtroom
• Stone lions rubbed smooth by visitors seeking luck
• Screen wall carvings that warn against greed
• Taoist music kept alive as national intangible heritage

Visiting tips

The temple sits in the Yuyuan tourist area, close to Yu Garden and the busy snack streets. Metro Line 10 stops at Yuyuan, about twelve minutes away on foot. Many visitors come only for the food, so set aside quiet time inside.