The City God Temple
The City God Temple or Chenghuang Miao (Chinese:ειεΊ) is a Taoist temple located in the Old City of Shanghai. It connects to the Yuyuan Garden, another landmark of the old city. Today the name of the temple not only refers to the large temple itself, but also the traditional shopping area surrounding the temple. There are over a hundred stores and shops in this area, and most of these store buildings are nearly a century old.
In ancient China, many walled cities contained a temple dedicated to one immortal or god as the spririt of the city. The City God Temple in Shanghai originated as the Jinshan God Temple, dedicated to the spirit of Jinshan (Gold Mountain), an island off the coast of Shanghai. It was converted into a City God Temple in 1403, during the Ming dynasty.In the Qing Dynasty, the temple grew popular. Residents of the old city as well as nearby areas visited the temple to pray for good fortune and peace, which led to many businesses being set up in the area, turning the surrounding streets into a busy marketplace.
The Temple, together with nearby Yuyuan Garden and the surrounding streets, are now part of a large pedestrian shopping zone. It is very a good place to gain the Shanghai food experience.