City god
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City gods or town gods (Chinese: 城隍, Pinyin: Cheng Huang) are deities in Chinese mythology, responsible for the affairs of the city. There are temples dedicated to the local town gods in many medium to large cities of China. Much like the ancient Greeks, the Chinese traditionally believed that guardian gods watched over the cities (Asian Historical Architecture, 2007). The City God is believed to be responsible for several aspects within the city. The structure or the built environment within city walls is one of the main concerns for this god. This god is often depended on for communal concerns such as the need for rain and personal requests such as recovery from illness. If such things as a natural disaster those directly affected would turn to the city god for help. The city god may also be called upon to help those who are accused of crime, in this sense the accused would appear before the god and ask for a sign to help prove their innocence (Zito, 1987).
City gods according to Chinese mythology have different names due to their location because they are usually spirits of deceased officials. The belief in the city god does not just focus on one spiritual being but an entire class of spirits whose concern is placed on that of the city. These spiritual deities are believed to hold an important position in the divine bureaucracy. It was often debated as to whether the local gods such as the city god held more power than the local officials. These city gods held a role in the spiritual world much like the role of an official in the human world. There in fact may also be a relation between the city god and the official. The official or magistrate will often turn to the city god for advice and help in governing the city (Johnson, 1985). Many of the walled cities in China contained a temple referred to as the city god temple, these cities were of no particular size but were dedicated to one or numerous gods who watched over the walled city (City God Temple, 2005).
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[edit] Worshiping City Gods
Worshiping a City God is both a simple and complex task depending on your status in society.[citation needed] In Chinese culture there is a distinction between official religion and popular religion. In official religion worshiping a City God is complex and can only be performed by officials and degree holders. These activities helped legitimize the state in the eyes of the common people and preserved local status distinctions (Temples of the State Cult, 2007). The prescribed sacrifices to a City God comes from the "Auspicious Rites" section of the Da Qing Tongli (Huters, 1988). The official worship of a City God is a solemn and dignified event and these such ceremonies were held inside the temple (Temples of the State Cult, 2007). The animals and food that were sacrificed to the City God are tediously inspected by the religious officials to make sure that they are good enough for the City God (Huters, 1988). The popular worship of a City God is much more flexible. People come from rural and urban areas to pray to him/her and ask for specific favours and the most common favour is for good health. When it is the City God's birthday the people of the town/city have a huge celebration to honour the City God. During this ceremony there are huge crowds of people, theatrical performances, food for sale, fireworks,firecrackers, noises of gongs anad drums, and incense burning (Temples of the State Cult, 2007). A City God's birthday is a very happy time for the young and old.
[edit] Hong Kong City Gods
During the Qing dynasty, all major cities in mainland China were appointed (by the Emperor) a City God (Shing Wong) to govern and look after their land. Hong Kong was never a part of the Qing dynasty (being as it is on an island) and had not appointed magistrate and therefore no protection of a Shing Wong.
In 1877 Hong Kong built their first Shing Wong temple, which was originally named "Fook Tak Tsz". It remains there today, at the junction of Shau Kei Wan Main Street East and Kam Wa Street, in Shau Kei Wan, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It has undergone many updates and name changes. A new outer wall was built in 1974, giving the feeling of a temple within a temple, and is now officially called the ShingWongTemple. There are other temples located in Hong Kong that house the deity Shing Wong, such as the Man Mo Temple, which is the oldest known temple in Hong Kong.
Deities Tu Di Gong (土地), Shing Wong, Ng Tung (五通神) are enshrined in the Temple. T'u ti is the "place god". The powers this god has are up to the residents of the city. This "place" could be anything - a jurisdiction, a block or an entire park. T'u ti was then under the command of the Shing Wong (Ch'eng Huang) of that city. Ng Tung is in charge of wealth, time, good fortune, and has a festival named after him called "The Gods of Five Lucks Festival" which is on the 5th of the first month. The T'u ti festival is held on the 2nd day of the new year, giving worship to the Earth deity. The Shing Wong festival is held bi-annually in Hong Kong on the 11th day of the fifth lunar month, and the 24th day of the seventh lunar month (Shing Wong's personal anniversary) where people praise and give sacrifice to their city-guarding deity.
There is some evidence that prior to the building of the Fook Tak Tsz temple in Shau Kei Wan there was a Shing Wong temple built at the junction of Shing Wong Street and Hollywood Street, where later stood QueensCollege. However, both buildings have been torn down and now there would be little or no evidence of the Temple ever being built there.
[edit] Shanghai City Gods
The City God Temple in the city of Shanghai is known as the "Old City God Temple" but the temple was originally called the "Jinshan God Temple" which was dedicated to the spirit of Jinshan. Jinshan or "Gold Mountain" is an island of the coast of Shanghai and was converted into a City God temple in 1403 during the Ming dynasty. The "Old City God Temple" is located by the Yuyuan gardens in Shanghai. This temple grew into a very popular site for citizens to come to pray and ask favors of the City God. In 1951 The Board of the Trustees of the City God temple fell apart and the Shanghai Taoist Association decided to put the focus of the temple onto Taoist tradition. During the Second Sino-Japanese War , (1937-1945) Shanghai was taken over by Japanese soldiers and due to them citizens were unable to get to the "Old City Temple" so the local people decided to build a "New City God Temple". After the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II the "New City God Temple" became less popular because people preferred to worship at "The Old City God Temple". The "New City God Temple" was destroyed in 1972 (City God Temple,2005).
The "Old City God Temple" is dedicated to three different gods: Huo Guang, Qin Yubo, and Chen Huacheng (City God Temple, 2005). Huo Guang (?-68 B.C.E.) was a famous general and chancellor of the Han dynasty (City God Temple in Shanghai reopens to Public, 2006). There is not much known about Huo Guang's life but he is remembered for overthrowing a young emperor and responsible for replacing him with a new emperor. He was appointed as the original City God of Shanghai in the Yuan dynasty. Qin Yubo (1295-1373) lived in Shanghai during the Yuan dynasty and worked in the civil service. Qin Yubo had many roles in the government which included his position as the Chief Imperial Examiner. After he died the emperor bestowed upon him the honor of being a City God in Shanghai . Chen Huacheng (1776-1842) was a Qing dynasty general who is remembered as being brave and courageous. He fought in the First Opium War and was very adamant about defending the Yangtze which is the third largest river in the world. He was killed in 1842 in a battle against the British. The "Old City Temple" is one of Shanghai's most famous attractions and is the center of a retail and entertainment district (City God Temple, 2005).
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Town God Temple
- About.com - Chinese Culture
[edit] References
- Asian Historical Architecture.(2007). http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/china/shanghai/shanghaicitygod.php. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
- Ching,Frank. (1988). Ancestors: 900 Years in the Life of a Chinese Family. Pan Books: United Kingdom.
- Chinese Temples Committee. (2008). http://www.ctc.org.hk/en/deities.asp . Retrieved October 26,2008
- City God's Temple in Shanghai reopens to Public. (2006). http://en.beijing2008.cn/15/16/article212051615.shtml . Retrieved October 26, 2008.
- Government of Hong Kong's Antiquities and Monuments Office/Leisure and Cultural Services Department. (2004). http://www.amo.gov.hk/form/AAB_Paper131_34_e.pdf . Retrieved October 27, 2008.
- Gray, J. H. (2003). China: A History of the Laws, Manners and Customs of the People. New York: Dover Publications.
- Hong Kong Tourism Board. (2008).http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/attraction/hkwalks/pdf/shau_kei_wan.pdf . Retrieved October 27, 2008.
- Huters, Theodore.(1988). Modern China. 344-346. Retrieved October 26, 2008, from JSTOR system database.
- Johnson, D. (1985). The City-God Cults of T'ang and Sung China. Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, 45, 363-457. Retrieved October 27, 2008, from JSTOR Database.
- Pui-tak, L. (2006). Colonial Hong Kong and Modern China. Washington, D.C.: University of Washington Press.
- Temples of the State Cult.(2007). http://afe.easia.Columbia.edu/cosmos/irc/temples.htm??. Retrieved October 28 . Retrieved October 26,2008.
- T'u-ti. (2008). http://www.brittannica.com/EBchecked/topic/608058/Tu-ti . Retrieved October 27, 2008.
- Zito, A. R. (1987). City Gods, Filiality, and Hegemony in Late Imperial China. Symposium on Hegemony and Chinese Folk Ideologies Part II, 13, 333-371. Retrieved October 27, 2008, from JSTOR Database.
