Former Site of the Temple of the God of Fire

Former Site of the Temple of the God of Fire

The former site of the Temple of the God of Fire is a cultural heritage site protected by the Yingkou Municipal Government.

The former site of the Temple of the God of Fire is located in the Dock Community, Yushi Subdistrict Office, Xishi District. Built in 1840, it is one of the earlier temple structures in Yingkou from the modern era.

Before the use of modern transportation such as railways, waterways were a critical transportation artery. For a certain period in modern society, the Liao River became the main traffic channel in the Northeast. As an economic lifeline of the Northeast, Yingkou (then called Mougouying) at the mouth of the Liao River became a hub for the import and export of goods. Thanks to its highly convenient transport links, the area attracted numerous businesses from other regions. Businessmen from outside began operating in Yingkou around 1820, and by 1839, the Yingkou Business Council had built the Sanyi Temple, signifying that the local merchant class had grown quite powerful. As the commercial town continued to grow, the population gradually increased. By 1840, the Yingkou Business Council constructed the Temple of the God of Fire. The establishment of this temple indicates that Yingkou had become relatively densely populated and had begun to take on the form of a city.

This temple is a Taoist site, featuring uniquely designed architecture. It covers an area of 100 square meters and stands 7 meters tall. According to the Yingkou Chronicles: “In 1900, the Boxers used the West Grand Temple as their center of activity, later setting up training grounds in places such as the Old Master Pavilion and the Temple of the God of Fire. This temple was often used as a venue for Boxer activities.”

In 1998, the Yingkou Municipal People's Government (Yingzhengbanfa [1998] No. 20) designated the Temple of the God of Fire as a municipal-level cultural heritage protection unit. The published scope of protection and construction control zone included: a 5-meter buffer zone extending beyond the surrounding walls of the temple site as the protected area; and the area within the factory grounds beyond the protected zone classified as Class I construction control zone.

Information source: Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television; Contributor: Dong Wenjie

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