Pinghe Chenghuang Temple

Pinghe Chenghuang Temple

Pinghe Chenghuang Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Era: Qing Dynasty

Address: Inside the East Gate, Jiufeng Town, Pinghe, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province.

The Chenghuang is an important deity widely worshipped in the religious culture of the Han Chinese. Most are revered historical figures or heroes who contributed to the local community, serving as guardians of the city in both folk beliefs and Taoism. The deity enshrined here is the great Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei. The temple was established in the 14th year of the Zhengde era (1519) by the renowned Ming Dynasty Neo-Confucian scholar Wang Yangming, and was renovated twice during the Kangxi and Jiaqing eras of the Qing Dynasty.

The Chenghuang Temple faces south and covers an area of 1,400 square meters. It is a four-courtyard architectural complex laid out in a “central-character” shape, built along the natural slope from higher in the north to lower in the south. The structure is rigorous and the layout rational. Along the central axis from south to north are the Main Gate (memorial archway), Ceremony Gate (theater stage), Worship Pavilion, Dongyue Hall, and Rear Hall, with corridors on both sides. The memorial archway has three bays and a single-eave hanging hip roof; the main hall has three bays in both width and depth, with a double-eave hip-and-gable roof; the rear hall also has three bays in both width and depth, with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. The scale and artistry of the Chenghuang Temple were first-rate for its time, and its architecture features typical local characteristics from the late Ming and early Qing periods.

The temple is richly adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, resplendent and magnificent, featuring wooden melon-shaped brackets and gilded paintings. The stone pillars are intricately carved with coiled dragons, stone shields, and screens. The brackets come in various styles, and the stone pillars vary in shape — round, square, octagonal, and even tall relief carved dragon pillars. The melon-shaped short columns beneath the brackets are gilded and painted with dense, golden patterns that look brand new. Figures and flowers-birds are depicted in vivid, lifelike poses. On the roof, two dragons play with a pearl, their claws outstretched and expressions fierce, appearing strikingly lifelike. The temple preserves over forty precious murals from the Ming and Qing dynasties, truly earning the title “Dunhuang of Fujian.” The “Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars” and “Eighteen Levels of Hell” scenes are grand in scale, populated with numerous figures, blending detailed brushwork with freehand styles. The figures are lively, the lines fluid, and the artistry exceptional. The “Eight Scenic Spots of Pinghe” series carries the finesse of master painters. Although based on real landscapes, they are not confined to literal depiction but instead pursue the creation of artistic mood, achieving a perfect balance of form and spirit. The lines and textures demonstrate superb skill, echoing the legacy of the Song and Yuan dynasties.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units