Brick Carving Screen Wall of the Ming Dynasty in Songjiang

Brick Carving Screen Wall of the Ming Dynasty in Songjiang

The Ming Dynasty Brick Carving Screen Wall in Songjiang is a protected cultural relic site of Shanghai Municipality.

Brick Carving Screen Wall: Located within the Fangta Garden scenic area in Songjiang District, on the north side of the Fangta Pagoda

The screen wall was originally located in front of the Songjiang Prefecture Temple to the City God. According to the (Ming Dynasty) Zhengde-era "Songjiang Prefecture Annals": The Temple to the City God was located west of Gushi Bridge and behind the Xingsheng Pagoda Monastery. Initially, it was situated west of the current prefectural government offices, but was relocated southeastward during the reign of Emperor Zhezong of the Song Dynasty (during the Zhenghe era), near the current Mengsu Taoist Temple. In the second year of the Zhizheng era of the Yuan Dynasty, Prefect Yang Boyetai expanded the site and reconstructed the temple, which was later destroyed in the year Bingxu. Local resident Sun Mingxu completed its restoration. In the third year of the Hongwu era (Ming Dynasty), Prefect Lin Qing built the current temple on the site of the former Xingsheng Temple hall. It was damaged by fire in the year Gengwu of the Jingtai era, and rebuilt by Prefect Huang Ping. In the year Jiyou of the Hongzhi era, Prefect Liu ? carried out further repairs. From this, we know that the screen wall was built in the third year of the Hongwu era. The Temple to the City God was destroyed in the early days of the Anti-Japanese War by Japanese aerial bombings, leaving only the screen wall intact. In front of the screen wall is a pool of water, which has helped protect it, and it remains relatively well preserved to this day.

The screen wall is three bays wide, with the central bay standing 4.75 meters high and 6.10 meters wide, covering an area of about 30 square meters — forming a massive carved artwork. It centers around a mythical beast with deer antlers, a lion’s tail, ox hooves, and dragon scales, standing atop ingots, ruyi scepters, coral, and jade cups, with a money tree and ganoderma lucidum nearby — all representing worldly treasures. Legend says this beast consumed all sorts of rare earthly riches yet remained unsatisfied, and even attempted to swallow the sun, only to fall into the East Sea and drown. Hence, it is called Tan (Greed), serving as a moral warning against insatiable greed. The relief carvings in the four corners also form homophonic symbols of good fortune: “Seal for a Marquis (referring to a monkey)”, “Peace and Promotion (bottle and flute)”, and “Double Blessings of Wealth and Rank (deer and rank)”.

It is the oldest, largest, and most exquisitely crafted brick carving artwork in the Shanghai area.

It was designated as a protected cultural relic site of Shanghai Municipality in 1962.