Shanghai City God Temple (Cheng Huang Miao) - Popular Taoist Temple Near Yu Garden

After renovations and repairs, the layout of the City God temple was basically complete, and the temple includes 12 halls, namely the Hall of Huo Guang, Yuan Chen Hall, God of Wealth Hall, the Hall of Yuelao, the Hall of the City God, the Goddess hall, the Parents Hall, the GuanSheng hall, the Wenchang Hall and the Patriarch hall, etc. The total area of City God Temple has reached about 3000 square meters.

Mountain Gate 山门照壁

It is the front gate of the City God Temple, also called “Mountain Gate”, as the early Taoist hermits built their chapels in the mountain in order to live a life of tranquility. City God Temple’s gate was built in 1535 during the Ming Dynasty. The structure of the mountain gate consists of stone pillars and timber beams. There are four golden characters. However, what you see today is a reproduction based on historical pictures, created in 1994 from which the City God Temple has once again been open to the public. 

After the mountain gate, there is another gate, “Yi Men”, meaning “ceremonial gate”. This “ceremonial gate” was the second front gate of a government office court. You can see two couplets in front of Yi Men.
The first couplets read:
To do good or to do evil, that is all up to you in the world of the living;
From the past to the present, no one escapes the judgment of death.

The Wealth God Hall 财神殿
In the Wealth God Hall, you’ll see five wealth gods. The one in the middle is Marshal Zhao, whose full name is Zhao Gongming. He wears an iron helmet on his head, a whip in one hand and a shoe-shaped gold ingot in another. Zhao is dressed in the manner of an ancient warrior. He protects fair trade. Left of Marshal Zhao is Xiao Sheng, the Treasure-Inducing God, and Cao Bao, the Treasure-Keeping God. On the sides of the hall are Messenger Chen Jiugong and Fairy Merchant Yao Shaosi. Both of these subordinates to Marshal Zhao deal with business in the human world. On January 5th of the Lunar Calendar, it is the Wealth God day, and people flood into this hall and seek the blessings for the wealth gods.

The main deity of the grand hall is Huo Guang. Huo Guang was a government official and a politician from the Han Dynasty. Huo used to serve Emperor Wu of Han. According to the record, when the pirates attacked the Golden Mountain (the ancient name of Shanghai), the Chinese army was able to drive them away under Huo’s leading. The local residents built the temple in memory of Huo; when the temple was renamed City God Temple, people still offered sacrifices to Huo and regarded him as a city God.

In front of Huo’s statue, there are two assistant officials: the one with the white face who records the good things people have done and take charge of the good spirits; the black-faced one records the bad things people have done, taking charge of the evil ghosts.

The City God Hall 城隍殿
City God Hall faces the courtyard. In the hall, Qin Yubo of the Ming Dynasty was deified, which is why his statue is dressed in the uniform of Ming Dynasty government officials with a hat and a robe. In front of Qin’s statue, there’s a desk which you could usually find in a government in the Ming Dynasty, on which lies a brush, an inkstone, an ink bar, an official seal, and an arrow of order on top of it. Two assistants stand in front of the desk with files in their hands, ready to tend to the business of the City God. City God Qin Yubo sits in the middle of the City God Hall; on his left is the Hall for Qin’s Lady, a hall dedicated to Qin’s Lady Chu; on his right is the Parents Hall, which is dedicated to Qin’s parents.

Distance from other main Shanghai attractions:

• About 300m from Yu Garden
• About 1.2km from The Bund
• About 1.9km from the Nanjing Road
• About 3.6km from Oriental Pearl TV Tower

For the geographic location, it is recommended to cover City God Temple and nearby attraction Nanjing Road, the Bund, Oriental Pearl TV Tower in one day.

Yu Garden and Bazaar

Yu Garden or Yuyuan Garden is only steps away from the City God Temple. It is also known as Yuyuan Garden (豫园), is the most celebrated classical Chinese Garden in Shanghai downtown area. It also enjoys the reputation of "the crown of beauty in Southeast China", offering charming and pleasant views. Yuyuan Bazaar is located next to Yu Garden, with beautiful Chinese architecture and design coupled with hundreds of shops selling pieces of jewelry, silk, antiques, arts, crafts, souvenirs, and local snacks.

The Bund

The Bund (外滩) is the top must-see landmark site in Shanghai. There are 52 buildings with various international architectural styles which makes the Bund “An Exhibition of International Buildings”.When the evening comes, the neon lights on both sides of the Huangpu River. Facing Lujiazui, the Bund is the best sightseeing area to roam around.

• Popular Shanghai Tours including Yu Garden
✔ 5 Days Shanghai Huangshan Tour by High Speed Train
✔ 6 Days Shanghai Yellow Mountain Tour with Water Town Visit

Best known as an international popular tourist destination, Shanghai perfectly preserves mixed culture of the western and eastern. The duration and theme of your Shanghai tour can be flexibly arranged based on your time and interests. Usually, tourists spend 2 days on sightseeing the most famous landmarks, including the Bund, Yu Garden, skyscrapers like Shanghai Tower, World Financial Center, Wukang Road, Shanghai Museum, etc. With one extra day, you can enjoy family fun in Disneyland Park or visit Zhujiajiao Water Town in the suburb. Don't miss the Shanghai Maglev Train, wonderful nightlife and Shanghai Cuisine.

✔ 2 Days Classic Shanghai City Tour
✔ 3 Days Shanghai Past and Present Contrast Tour
✔ 3 Days Shanghai Highlights & Zhujiajiao Water Town Tour

Travel Shanghai with Hangzhou Suzhou, More Nearby Destinations

Convenient transportation makes it quite efficient and popular to make day trips from Shanghai to Hangzhou, Suzhou, and longer vacation in Huangshan Mountain, Nanjing, Mount Jiuhua and other places in surrounding areas. So you can visit West Lake and learn Chinese tea culture in Hangzhou, marvel at tasteful classical gardens and witness Chinese silk productive process. Splendid rocky mountains with exotic pine trees are highlights in Huangshan Mountain.

✔ 5 Days Shanghai Hangzhou Suzhou Highlights Tour
✔ 6 Splendid East China Tour by Bullet Train
✔ 5 Days Shanghai Huangshan Tour by High Speed Train

Travel Shanghai with Beijing, Xian & More China Destinations

Beijing Xian Shanghai are golden triangle cities often visited together for a week holiday. You can use 3 days to visit the Great Wall and major iconic spots like Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven in Beijing, and leave 2 days for fulfilling your Terracotta Warriors tour in Xian. With more time, you can extend the trip from Shanghai to Zhangjiajie, Guilin, Chengdu, Yunnan, Silk Road, Tibet and more phenomenal destinations to enrich your China discovery. (more top China tours from Shanghai >>)

✔ 6 Days Beijing Shanghai Tour by High Speed Train
✔ 8 Days Best of China Tour (Beijing/Xian/Shanghai)
✔ 7 Days Shanghai Suzhou Beijing Contrast Tour by High Speed Train