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City God Temple of Xingze

You may know or have visited the City God Temple in downtown Zhengzhou. How about the City God Temple of Xingze in Guxing Town? Situated in the north of Xida Street (in the former Guxing Ginning Factory), Guxing Town, Huiji District, Zhengzhou, it was founded in the early years of the Ming dynasty during the reign of Hongwu Emperor. In the 37th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing dynasty, the old Xingze County was moved to the current Guxing Town for preventing flood, and the City God Temple of Xingze was also moved here.

According to the County Annals of Xingze, the former City God Temple of Xingze was a three-hall courtyard, composed of the temple gate, etiquette door, main temple hall and chambers. It is a large and resplendent ancient architectural complex, covering a total area of about 26,100 square meters.

In the war-torn temple, there is the main temple hall, platform, the statue of Emperor Jiajing in the Ming dynasty, two inscriptions during the reign of Emperor Wanli, an iron censer during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (Qing dynasty), foundation of chambers, etc.

The Main Hall of the City God Temple, known as “Weiling Hall”, faces south. This single-eave building with the hip-and-gable roof, featuring the style of the Ming dynasty, was reconstructed in the Qing dynasty. “Weiling Hall” was written on the horizontal inscribed board on the lintel by Luo Zhewen, a well-known expert in ancient architecture in China. The roof is covered with glazed tile; the ridge is decorated with yellow and green glaze; the curled-up dragon’s big mouths stand at the ends of the main ridge. The main building is supported by 18 circular timber columns. Two hypostyle columns support the crossbeam of the outer room, with the two-step crossbeam on the front and back of the five-purlin beam. For the detail parts of the building, the beam frame is painted in various colors, with some carvings and decorations for the bracket and joinery work, giving full expression to the elaboration and refinement of buildings in the Ming dynasty.

Decorative colored glaze on the roof

The curled-up dragon’s big mouth at the end of the ridge

On the two sides of the southern platform are two well-conserved inscriptions with clear handwriting. On the west inscription is “Reconstruction of Xianyoubo City God Temple of Xingze County” in the 33rd year of the reign of Emperor Jiajing in the Ming dynasty (1554), and on the east is “Reconstruction of City God Temple of Xingze County” during the reign of Emperor Wanli in the Ming dynasty.

The main temple hall, with long overhang eaves and high cornices pick angle, is the essence of ancient architecture in Central Plains Region.

The City God Temple of Xingze is the only well-conserved building of the Ming dynasty in Zhengzhou, which is of great scientific value to study the architectural style of Central Plains Region during the Mid-Ming Period. The picture shows the roof with architectural aesthetics of the City God Temple of Xingze.

Copyright by Zhengzhou Municipal Tourism Administration