Taizhou City God Temple

Taizhou City God Temple

The Taizhou City God Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Taizhou City God Temple is located at No. 22 Yimiao Street, Hailing District, Taizhou.

Also known as Yimiao, it is the largest and best-preserved City God Temple in Jiangsu Province, as well as the biggest Taoist temple in the Taizhou area.

Originally built during the Tang Dynasty, it has undergone five renovations since the Northern Song Dynasty.

The entire structure faces south, with a total north-south length of 124.47 meters and covering an area of over 5,300 square meters. Outside the main gate, there are screen walls on both sides, and the layout is centered around the north-south meridian axis, consisting of three sections: the Mountain Gate Hall, the Trial Hall, and the Main Hall. The Mountain Gate Hall and the Trial Hall each have five bays, while the Main Hall has ten bays, along with twenty-four subordinate offices spanning thirty bays, a local temple, administrative offices, and a Land God Shrine totaling twenty-two bays, making up seventy-two rooms in all. Among these, the Mountain Gate Hall, Trial Hall, and the twenty-four subordinate offices are Ming Dynasty structures, while the Main Hall dates back to the early Qing Dynasty. Each section is connected by a courtyard, with symmetrical side rooms on both sides, naturally forming a series of traditional Chinese courtyard complexes.

The architectural style and scale of the Taizhou City God Temple are similar to those of the old Taizhou Prefecture Government Office. The first section, the Mountain Gate Hall, features three square gates. Inside the hall, there are horse deity statues on the eastern and western sides, facing the gates, and a flagpole and screen wall stand on the southern side of the street. The second section is the Four Heavenly Officials Hall, which houses statues of the four celestial bureaucrats. On either side of the front of this hall are five-bay side rooms, serving as the “Praise Transformation Hall,” “Office Room,” and “Land God Shrine,” among others. The third section is the Trial Hall, which contains a rosewood official’s desk. A brick memorial archway is built along the corridor in front of the hall, with rows of about seven or eight service rooms on both sides. The fourth section is the Main Hall, where a theater stage once stood in the courtyard opposite the hall. Flanking the hall are fifteen-bay side rooms, housing the twenty-four subordinate offices of the City God. The Main Hall is the principal shrine of the temple, enshrining the statue of the Taizhou City God, who has a golden face, a five-section beard, and an elegant demeanor. He wears a jade belt, black boots, a bejeweled crown, and an embroidered red robe. In front of the seated statue of the City God is a long ritual table, holding an incense burner and candle holders. On the eastern and western sides of the hall are statues of the civil and military judges, while a bell and drum are placed in the southeastern corner. At the center of the front porch’s terrace stands a large bronze cauldron.

In 2006, the Taizhou City God Temple was listed in the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council as a historical building from the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Address: No. 22 Yimiao Street, Hailing District, Taizhou City

Type: Historical Site / Temple

Recommended Visit Duration: About 1 hour

Phone: 0523-86612223

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units