Yu County God of Wealth Temple

Yu County God of Wealth Temple

The Yu County God of Wealth Temple is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Hebei Province.

The Yu County God of Wealth Temple is located on Caishenmiao Street in the northwest part of Yu Prefecture Ancient City. This Caishenmiao Street features architecture from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The temple covers an area of 901 square meters, faces south, and has a two-courtyard layout. The overall layout and individual structures of the temple are exquisitely delicate, particularly the brick-and-wood carvings, stone decorations, painted designs, and craftsmanship, all of which exhibit the refined elegance characteristic of southern Chinese architecture. In October 2008, it was designated as a provincial-level cultural heritage site by the People’s Government of Hebei Province.

The front hall is three bays wide and three bays deep, featuring a flush-gable roof with a rolled shed roof connected in one structure. It uses a nine-rafter system with three central columns, a flush-gable seven-rafter beam, and a rolled shed four-rafter beam. The flat beam is supported by a scissor-braced truss, and the back purlin is painted with the “Bagua Diagram.” The floor inside the hall is paved with square bricks, and the east and west side walls are adorned with light ink-wash paintings—on the left is a blue dragon, and on the right is a black tiger. At the rear of the east and west side walls are horizontal stone tablets: two on the east wall, being the 1778 (Qianlong 43rd year) “Merit Donation Stele” and the 1810 (Jiaqing 15th year) “Donation for Qingyun Society Stele.” On the west wall is the 1782 (Qianlong 47th year) “Certificate Establishment Stele.” The front eaves’ crossbeams feature green-and-blue Suzhou-style decorative painting, imperial seal color painting, jade-ground design, gilded tiger-eye rafter ends, and flying rafters decorated with swastika patterns. The use of gold leaf and raised relief painting is exceptionally rare.

The main hall has a flush-gable roof covered with clay tiles, is three bays wide and three bays deep, with a seven-rafter beam. There is a single-step corridor extending forward and backward on both ends, using four central columns for eight rafters. The side walls are painted with figures in Qing dynasty official attire, wearing red tasseled hats and horse-hoof sleeves. On both sides are stone-built altars, each with four slabs. Below the front eaves’ central corridor pillars are octagonal plinths. The central bay features six-paneled “swastika” latticed doors, while the side bays have diagonal lattice, nested squares, and herringbone-patterned panels. The chiseled gable decorations include a “phoenix and peony” on the east and a “deer with the Three Friends of Winter” on the west.

Transportation Guide

Address: Caishenmiao Street, Yu County, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province

Getting There: Within Yu County, you can rent a car or walk west along Gulou Street to reach Gulou Back Street.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Hebei Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites