Shahu Temple

Shahu Temple

Shahu Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Shahu Temple is located in Renjiaxi Village, Zhangqi Town, Cixi City. It neighbors Linglong Palace to the southeast, faces Longting River to the south, and lies 30 meters east of Lingsu Lake. The building faces south and features a single-eave hip-and-gable roof with a mixed brick-and-timber structure. Its overall layout is roughly square, measuring 28 meters from north to south and 26 meters from east to west, covering an area of 728 square meters. Along the central axis are, in sequence, a brick-and-stone gate wall, the front hall, the stage, and the main hall. A stone-paved courtyard lies between the front hall and the main hall, with four-bay side halls on each side. The various structures are interconnected by surrounding walls.

The first bay, the front hall, is divided into three sections, each consisting of one main room and two side rooms. The beam framework uses smaller materials and has simple decorations. Each front hall section has a 1.6-meter-wide brick-and-stone portal above its doorway. The central rooms of the side sections are 2.8 meters wide, the side rooms 1.5 meters wide, and the depth 4.5 meters. These connect to the side halls on the north but without direct integration. The middle front hall’s central room is 4 meters wide, the side rooms 2 meters wide, and the depth 6.7 meters, with the north side connecting to a small stage.

The small stage is a single-eave xieshan-style structure, 4 meters long and wide. Its domed ceiling is constructed from small wooden pieces and topped with a rolled awning. The structure is neat and orderly, adorned with carved floral reliefs. On the south side, the stage connects to the gate wall, while the northern stone pillars bear a couplet reading: “Here one may witness the rise and fall of the worthy and the wicked; this is where beautiful songs sing the praise of peace and harmony.”

The second bay, the main hall, has seven bays. The central and adjacent bays are each 4 meters wide, the side bays 3.5 meters, and the end bays 3.4 meters, with a depth of 8.8 meters. The beam framework uses larger materials. The central bay features a raised-beam structure, while the others use a combination of raised beams and through-tenon construction. The moon beams and spandrels are carved with floral reliefs.

The four-bay side halls on each side have central rooms each 3.1 meters wide and side rooms 2.3 meters wide. These use smaller materials and have simple decorations. According to the "Zhenhai County Annals": “Shahu Temple, in the first ward of the fifth district, enshrines the village’s earth and grain deity along with the Stone Slope Dragon Deity.” To this day, Shahu Temple remains well-preserved, with no significant damage to its brick-and-timber structure. In July 1986, it was designated as a cultural relics protection site of Cixi County, and in December 2003, the Cixi Municipal People's Government listed it as a fifth batch cultural relics protection unit.