Jiaxing Cangsheng Shrine

Jiaxing Cangsheng Shrine

The Jiaxing Cangsheng Shrine is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Cangsheng Shrine is located in the Nanhu Scenic Area of Jiaxing, on Xiaoyingzhou Island in the northeast part of Nanhu Lake, facing the Yanyu Tower on the Lake Center Island from north to south. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, when the city river was dredged, mud was piled up here, forming a shoal of about 8 acres. Initially used by fishermen to dry their nets, it gradually became a popular scenic spot.

It is said that in the past, elders in Jiaxing would often teach their children not to litter paper with writing on it, and they certainly didn’t allow the children to use such paper to wipe dirty things or as toilet paper. This wasn’t just about hygiene, but considered a “sin,” as it would “anger the God of Writing.” Why? There’s a historical story behind this. Legend has it that the Chinese characters were created by Cangjie, hence the saying “Cangjie invented writing,” and he is revered as the “God of Writing.”

During the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty, there was a civil organization in Jiaxing called the “Character-Respect Society,” and the Cangsheng Shrine was built at that time with funds raised by this society. The shrine had three rooms, housing a statue of Cangjie inside. Local scholars would gather regularly to worship and pay tribute to commemorate this “God of Writing.”

Back then, the “Character-Respect Society” was a household name in Jiaxing. In the late Qing Dynasty and during the Republic of China period, they made many bamboo baskets, which were distributed to government offices and school groups, and hung in offices, classrooms, and public spaces. These baskets were called “character-respect baskets.” Shaped like a flat bottle, about one foot two or three inches in height and width, and four or five inches thick—like a fish basket—with a bowl-sized opening at the top, a flat bottom, and two small angled sides, slightly diamond-shaped. The outer walls of the baskets were brushed with the words “Respect characters, prolong life,” reminding people not to discard paper with writing carelessly but to put it in the “character-respect baskets.”

When no one collected the waste paper, and the baskets became full, the paper would be gathered by various institutions, packed into sacks, and sent to Tiening Temple to be “disposed of.” Here, “disposed of” meant burned, but one didn’t say “burned.” At that time, there were two paper-burning wall stoves on either side of the main gate of Tiening Temple for people to burn paper.

Memorials to Cangjie, such as the Cangsheng Shrine or similar structures, seem to exist only in Jiaxing nationwide, which gives the Cangsheng Shrine strong local cultural characteristics of Jiaxing.

The Cangsheng Shrine was damaged during the War of Resistance, with doors and windows dismantled and sold, leaving only a few pillars supporting the leaky roof. The “Character-Respect Society” also disappeared after the victory of the war. After the founding of New China, the government carried out extensive renovations to the gardens and conducted multiple repairs on the Cangsheng Shrine. Now, the shrine has taken on a completely new look, becoming a unique and distinctive tourist attraction in Nanhu.

Jiaxing is the birthplace of the Majiabang Culture from the Neolithic Age, where ancestors engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing, and hunting as early as 7,000 years ago. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the area was called Changshui, also known as Zuili, and was a strategic site contested by the states of Wu and Yue.

In the Warring States Period, it came under the territory of Chu. The Qin Dynasty established Youquan County and Haiyan County, both under the Kuaiji Commandery. During the Han Dynasties, salt was produced by boiling seawater, and grain was grown through land reclamation. In the Three Kingdoms period, the Eastern Wu Dynasty dominated the Jiangdong region and separated the southern part of Youquan County and the western part of Haiyan County to establish Yanguan County. In the third year of the Huanglong era of Wu (231 AD), “wild rice grew spontaneously in Youquan,” which Emperor Sun Quan regarded as an auspicious sign. He renamed Youquan to Hexiong, and in the fifth year of the Chiwu era (242 AD), it was renamed Jiaxing. During the Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties periods, Jiaxing was further developed, reaching a point where “a single good harvest could feed several prefectures.”