There are City God’s Temples everywhere in China. Who is the god worshiped in the City God’s Temple?
Every big city in China has a Chenghuang Temple. During every festival, people will come to burn incense and petition. Many of the City Gods were deceased benevolent and righteous men, loyal ministers and good generals. In ancient times, the City God managed the underworld affairs of a city or multiple cities, and was in charge of Feng Shui. City God refers to the city wall and moat. The City God can also be regarded as the god who protects one party.
The origin of the City God can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty. It spread after the rise of Taoism and passed through the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Until now, there are still many cities with it. The existence of the City God Temple. The duty of the City God is to guard the land and water and protect the people from living and working in peace and contentment. It is very similar to the official position of the prefect, except that the former is a god and the latter is a human being.
The City God worshiped by many cities in Xi'an, Zhengzhou, Ningbo and other places is "Zhonglie Hou" Ji Xin. Ji Xin was once Liu Bang's subordinate. When Liu Bang was besieged by Xiang Yu, in order to protect Liu Bang, he pretended to be Liu Bang, opened the city gate and feigned surrender to Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, so that Liu Bang could take advantage of the chaos and escape. Ji Xin was finally caught by Xiang Yu and ordered to be executed. Later, Ji Xin was revered as the City God in many cities.
The City God of Hangzhou: Zhou Xin, a native of the Ming Dynasty, used to be an inspection envoy in various places. He was later killed by Zhu Di and became the City God of Hangzhou during the Zhengtong period of Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty.
The City God of Shaoxing: Pang Yu. Pang Yu was a general during the Sui Dynasty. He later defected to the Tang Dynasty and served as the governor of Yuezhou. Yuezhou is now Shaoxing. During his tenure, he was very loved by the people. Not long after his death, he was regarded as the City God of Yuezhou.
The City God of Taizhou: Qu Tan, a native of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. His father was dismissed from office for offending Sun Quan and lived in seclusion in Taizhou. Later, Qu Tan did many good deeds in Taizhou and was deeply loved by the people.
The city gods in Shanghai are quite special. Since the Ming Dynasty, there have been two city gods in Shanghai. One is Huo Guang, whom the people spontaneously believe in, and the other is Qin Yubo, who was revered by Zhu Yuanzhang. The front hall is Huo, and the back hall is Huo. This is how Qin?'s statement came about.
Suzhou City God: Huang Xie. One of the Four Young Masters of the Warring States Period, he made many contributions to the local area and was later regarded as the City God.