Cifei Temple

Cifei Temple

Cifei Temple is a cultural relics protection unit of Yinzhou District.

Cifei Temple is located in Jingtng Village, Jiangshan Town, Yinzhou District. On October 9, 2002, it was designated as a district-level cultural relics protection unit.

Cifei Temple is a commemorative building dedicated to "Huang Sheng, the Tang Dynasty Prefect of Mingzhou." The entire architectural complex faces south and includes a front hall, stage, wing rooms, Cifei Palace, rear hall, and more. It has an overall depth of 55.33 meters, a width of 27.95 meters, and covers an area of approximately 1,546 square meters, divided into two courtyards.

The main gate is positioned at the very front of the Cifei Temple complex. It features a single-eave, flush-gable roof, with a depth of three bays and an overall depth of 7.87 meters, and a width of three bays, spanning 12.9 meters in total. On either side of the main gate are side rooms (ear rooms), each with three bays and a total width of 6.28 meters. The front of these rooms forms a courtyard with the surrounding wall. The main gate is set on the front step column, and the porch in front of the gate is fitted with a coiled awning divided into three arched sections, with a grass-frame structure above the awning. The eave columns feature bracket arms (niutui) with exquisitely carved designs, supporting large flower-basket-shaped bracket arms (dou). In front and on both sides of the dou, upward-facing ang elements extend and intersect with the ends of the rafter beams, supporting the eave fascia. The eaves include flying rafters. The interior two-bay frame uses a post-and-lintel system, with the ridge child column standing on the third purlin. Below the third purlin is a horizontal beam, beneath which hanging flower pillars divide the space into two sections of lean-to roofs—one longer in the front and one shorter in the back, with the rear section being slightly curved. Behind the main gate, the floor level rises to create a second story, with a staircase leading to the stage and the wing rooms. The gable walls of the ear rooms rise above the roofline, forming five-section screen walls, with an additional section extending forward, totaling six sections. The ridges of both the main gate and the ear rooms feature rolling tube-and-shutter ridges adorned with dragon heads (longwen), inscriptions reading “National Peace and Prosperity (Guotai Min’an),” and sculptures of the “Three Stars of Blessings, Prosperity, and Longevity (Fulu Shou).” The vertical ridges (chuiwei) are located at the boundary between the ear rooms and the main gate, each ending with a group of vividly crafted clay theatrical figurines.

Stage: The stage is located directly behind and connected to the front hall. It was rebuilt in 2004 to restore its original appearance (the original structure was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution). The stage has a hip-and-gable roof, with an overall width and depth of 4.7 meters. The base has four columns, all stone, with the rear two shared with the front hall. The tops of the columns support flat cap blocks, atop which are bracket sets (dougong) that project two steps forward and backward in an openwork design, with ang elements extending at 45-degree angles—these ang elements feature phoenix-head designs. At the shua’tou position, a section of square timber extends forward, supporting the eave fascia; the front of this timber is decorated with gold-lacquered birds, while the rear is carved in the shape of a dragon head. Each side of the stage has four horizontally aligned bracket sets, and the eaves feature flying rafters aligned with those of the main structure. The architrave, hanging latticework, and other elements are carved with patterns of dragons, phoenixes, flowers, and birds, all finished in red with gold lacquer. The interior features a circular, cage-like caisson ceiling. The stage roof is covered with cylindrical tiles, and the ridge features a rolling tube-and-shutter ridge with dragon heads at both ends, a gourd-shaped central ornament, and a design of the “Three Stars of Blessings, Prosperity, and Longevity.” The ends of the vertical ridges each have a group of vividly sculpted theatrical figures. The stage floor is 1.6 meters above ground level and is made of wooden planks, surrounded by carved balustrades, with small lion ornaments atop the railing posts.

Wing Rooms: The left and right wing rooms connect with the ear rooms on either side of the main structure and are both two-story buildings. Their layouts are generally symmetrical, though their dimensions vary slightly. Each has a width of four bays (15.4 meters in total) and a depth of two bays (4.48 meters in total). They feature flush-gable roofs, with solid rear walls containing windows. The internal beam frames use a four-bay post-and-lintel system with a post-and-lintel (tai-liang) structure. Above the five-purlin beam are lotus-petal pedestals supporting large bracket arms, which in turn hold up the three-purlin beam. The ridge child column rests on the three-purlin beam, with butterfly brackets above. The lower eave columns are square, chamfered stone pillars inscribed with couplets. The second floor also has a row of arcaded carved balustrades. The lower eave columns feature bracket arms and dou supporting the eave fascia, with flying rafters on the front eaves aligned with those of the main structure. The eave height matches that of the main building. The ground floor is open-plan, with an arcaded front porch featuring a coiled awning that no longer exists. There is a single step between the eave and step columns, with a height difference of about 12 centimeters.

Cifei Palace: Cifei Palace faces directly opposite the stage. It has a width of seven bays (27.9 meters in total), with the main section having a depth of three bays (14.3 meters in total) supported by four columns. It features a flush-gable roof. The front section projects a porch (baoshà) built on a raised platform at the front, with a width of three bays (12.93 meters in total) and a depth of one bay (4.25 meters). This porch has a suspended-gable roof, with the front four columns being square stone pillars inscribed with couplets. The rear four columns are shared with Cifei Palace. Beams rest on these columns, with short supporting pillars placed atop them, and coiled awnings constructed on either side. The beams are exquisitely carved, and the tops of the stone pillars feature double ang elements, with carved stone lions hanging upside down from them. Each of the three bays on the front of the porch has a plaque inscribed with “Praising Great Merit (Xu Zan Gong Gao),” “Cifei Palace,” and “Overawing the Dragon Pool (Wei Zhen Jiao Yuan).” The rear main hall uses a post-and-lintel structural system. Above the eave and step columns is a coiled awning corridor, with a grass-frame structure likely above. The rear main hall has a width of three bays, with the middle four step columns and their bases being particularly massive, with diameters of 0.6 meters. The central column does not sit on the five-purlin beam but is instead suspended, with the base finished with a flower-basket-shaped wooden block. Above the five-purlin beam are lotus-petal pedestals, with bracket sets connecting to the principal and moon beams. The rear eave columns are built up with walls up to the bottom of the architrave. Between the rear eave and step columns is a double-purlin beam, which supports the principal beam via bracket sets, with a following beam beneath. The two side bays on either side of the main hall serve as auxiliary rooms, each with a depth of four bays and five columns, using smaller materials and simpler beam structures. The easternmost bay serves as a passageway to the rear hall. Each auxiliary room has a side door on the east and west sides. Both the main hall and auxiliary rooms have double-sloped roofs with alternating tiles, no drip tiles, and dragon-head ridges—four in total—with inscriptions reading “Smooth Winds and Rains (Feng Tiao Yu Shun)” and flame decorations.

Rear Hall: The rear hall is located at the very back of the architectural complex. It has a width of seven bays (27.95 meters in total) and a depth of four bays (8.35 meters in total). It features a flush-gable roof with a plain green-tile ridge. The rear section is built with a solid wall. The beam frame has six bays, with doors and windows set at the eave columns. The tops of the eave columns feature dou, from which double-bracket sets extend horizontally to support the eave purlins. Forward-projecting ding-shaped brackets connect to the beam ends, which are carved in the shape of animal heads—a local Ningbo design. The central column reaches the ground. The front and rear sections are largely symmetrical. Above the five-purlin beam are lotus-petal pedestals with bracket sets, featuring double-bracket sets horizontally to support the purlin blocks. About one meter below the five-purlin beam are two following beams. At the position of the eave columns, a low wall is built with doors and windows. The front eaves lack flying rafters, while the rear eaves rest on the rear wall. The exterior walls are painted red. At the rear of Cifei Palace, two corridors connect to the rear hall and link with the passageway. These corridors are double-pitched, four-column structures about 3 meters wide and 4 meters long. Beams on the columns support lotus-petal pedestals and large dou, which in turn hold up the ridge purlins and butterfly brackets. The corridor eaves project about 1.45 meters, with one side filled in with brick—likely a later addition.

Cifei Temple holds unique historical significance due to Huang Sheng’s role as an important cultural and historical figure in Ningbo. The entire structure largely retains the architectural style of the Qing Dynasty, featuring exquisite carvings and well-preserved colored paintings, showcasing a high level of aesthetic beauty and artistic atmosphere.