Mengcheng Chenghuang Temple

Mengcheng Chenghuang Temple

Mengcheng Chenghuang Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

The Yuan, Ming, Qing dynasties and early Republican period were the times when Mengcheng saw the most construction and renovation of temples, halls, nunneries, Taoist shrines, ancestral halls, pavilions, churches, and other religious structures. According to a comprehensive survey from the fifth year of the Republic of China, there were over 100 various types of temples of different sizes across the county at that time, including 22 within the county town, with the highest number in Xiaojian Town with over 20, Shuangjian Town with nearly 50, and Banqiaoji with 45.

The Chenghuang Temple was originally built during the Zhi Zheng era of the Yuan Dynasty. According to the Meng County Annals, it was located on Hongxiang Street inside the Dongmenli, very close to the Confucius Temple to the west, separated only by a small Qinglong Alley, and adjacent to the Sanqing Taoist Temple to the east. It is now situated in the middle section of Xincheng Road, close to the Confucius Temple to the west and near Qiyuan Hotel to the east. The Chenghuang Temple and Cishi Temple in the town were among the most popular temples in terms of incense offerings.

The architecture of the Chenghuang Temple is of brick-and-wood structure, exquisitely crafted and logically laid out. It can be roughly divided into two parts: the temple hall and the theater. The front half of the temple courtyard includes a theater stage and front and rear performance platforms, with east and west viewing galleries on both sides. The rear half houses the main shrine hall and rear hall. On the left and right sides in front of the main hall, there are east and west side corridors. At the front of the temple courtyard near the street, there is a central main gate and one side gate on each side. Entering through the left east gate leads to the “Earth God Shrine,” while entering through the right west gate leads to the “Monk Blessing Shrine.” After entering the central gate, one must pass through the underpass beneath the front and rear stages of the large theater to reach the rectangular main temple courtyard in front of the main hall. At the northern end of the courtyard stands the majestic three-room main hall. On the left and right sides in front of the main hall, there are ten side rooms in total. On the left and right sides near the main hall, there are circular wall gates that serve as passages to the small rear courtyard behind the main hall. In the center of the rear courtyard stands a three-room rear hall with an upper floor, totaling six rooms.

At the front of the main hall, there are six tall hall doors, behind which stands a grand divine pavilion and altar, housing a golden-faced clay statue of the Chenghuang (City God). The Chenghuang statue sits in the center, flanked by two clay figures: on the left stands the Judge, holding a Book of Life and Death in one hand and a writing brush in the other; on the right stands the messenger ghost official, holding order tokens resembling summoning arrows (i.e., soul-guiding plaques) in both hands. In front of the Chenghuang statue, there is another wooden statue about the size of a human, dressed formally and sitting upright on a wooden armchair. Pressing its knees causes it to suddenly stand up, lifelike as if a living deity—this is another Chenghuang statue used during the annual “Parade Festival,” carried through the streets by worshippers and venerated along the route. In front of the divine altar is an incense table, on which sit a Buddhist lamp, incense burner, candle stand, divination sticks, chime, and wooden fish. Near the sides of the incense table stand two tall cylindrical pillars inscribed with a couplet:

Upper Couplet: Ask what you have done in your life? Bullied the weak, swindled wealth, encouraged lawsuits, indulged in lust, seized others’ land, broke marriages—each and every sin, is it true? Search your heart, speak plainly, do not deceive yourself.

Lower Couplet: Who have I spared here? I tally your evils, shorten your lifespan, claim your life, separate you from kin, cut off your descendants. The mighty laws of heaven—do you fear them? Open your eyes, and you will know the gods are real.

On the east and west sides of the main hall, the side corridors house clay statues of the Ten Kings of Hell, each with a distinct form and imposing presence. In front of each statue are depictions of the various hellish punishments overseen by each king. Various torture instruments are displayed, such as deep-frying, grinding, beheading, axe-chopping, sawing, eye-gouging, tongue-cutting, and more—vividly realistic and terrifying to behold. Above the two circular doors leading to the rear hall courtyard are inscribed the phrases “Solitary Cloud on a Rock Fragment” and “Bright Moon over Clear Pool.” On both sides of the main hall entrance stand ten lush pines and cypresses, elegant and majestic. Inside the rear hall is a statue of Kṣitigarbha (Earth Store Bodhisattva), and the upper floor of the rear hall features a reclining statue or “Reclining Buddha” of Kṣitigarbha. On both sides of the rear hall courtyard are several small rooms where the monks reside. In the three rooms under the east viewing gallery are clay statues of the Rain Mother Goddess, Thunder God, and Lightning Goddess. In the three rooms under the west viewing gallery are statues of the Five Plague Gods. On either side of the entrance corridor are statues of two hell messengers leading horses—one with a cow-like head and the other with a horse-like head, known as Ox-Head and Horse-Face. In the early Republican period, apart from the main hall’s deities remaining untouched, many other statues were destroyed during campaigns promoting a new lifestyle and eradicating old superstitions.

The front half of the Chenghuang Temple houses the temple theater. The stage faces north, directly opposite the central gate of the main hall, and was specifically used for performances offered to the Chenghuang King by worshippers fulfilling vows. The stage is 2.5 meters high, with a front area of about 40 square meters, and the backstage is about half again as large. The stage is supported by wooden pillars, allowing views from the north, west, and east, with the south side adjacent to the backstage. The beams and crossbeams of the stage are carved with flowers, birds, figures, dragons, and phoenixes—exquisitely crafted, with upturned eaves and uniquely beautiful designs. There are three viewing rooms on each of the east and west sides. The roofs of the main hall and theater are entirely covered with colorful glazed tiles.

The temple’s annual festival day is the 15th day of the third lunar month, drawing continuous crowds with flourishing incense offerings, chiming bells and drums, incense smoke like mist, and extraordinary liveliness. Outside the festival, worshippers still visit the Chenghuang Temple to burn incense, pray, draw lots, dispel disasters, and pray for blessings. Those making vows may slaughter pigs and sheep or hire famous opera troupes to perform, filling the temple courtyard with the sounds of gongs, drums, and music. The viewing galleries on both sides of the stage are equipped with tables, stools, and tea sets, mainly for use by officials and wealthy families, accommodating around 200 spectators. The open square in front of the stage can hold hundreds of audience members who mostly stand to watch. At that time, it was the only early and relatively large permanent theater in the county town.

At around 9:00 AM on February 3, 1947 (the 36th year of the Republic of China), a sudden fire broke out in the Chenghuang Temple theater. The elaborately carved stage, including the front and back areas, east and west viewing galleries, as well as the nearby Confucius Temple, Kuixing Pavilion, Earth God Shrine, Monk Blessing Shrine, and dozens of nearby civilian houses, burned for two days, leaving only ruins, debris, and scorched earth. The main hall, rear building, and east-west corridors that survived the fire have since been repaired with funding from the county government, and the Chenghuang Temple has been designated as a key cultural relic protection unit of the county.