Weichuan Chenghuang Temple

Weichuan Chenghuang Temple

The Weichuan Chenghuang Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province.

The Weichuan Chenghuang Temple is situated on the north side of Chengzhong Road in the town center of Weichuan. According to the *Weichuan County Annals*, the temple was constructed in the early Ming Dynasty, underwent renovation in the fifth year of the Zhengtong era (1440 AD), and was restored multiple times during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty and the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. The original complex featured a main hall with five bays, a worship hall with five bays, twenty-five bays each of east and west corridor rooms, a theater stage, a bedroom hall with six bays, a main gate with three bays, and a pair of stone lions from the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty positioned outside the main gate. The entire Chenghuang Temple covered an area of about 15 mu. Before the liberation, it served as the site of the former Weichuan County government office, where the original east and west corridor rooms were rebuilt into east and west row rooms. After the liberation, it housed the Weichuan office of the Weichuan County People’s Government. Following the merger of Weiyang and Weichuan counties, Weichuan County was abolished. Currently, the temple is used by the Weichuan Branch of the Weishi County People's Cultural Center.

The existing structures within the Weichuan Chenghuang Temple include a main gate with three bays, a worship hall with five bays—measuring five bays in width and three zhang in depth—with a flush gable roof featuring stacked floral ridges (originally with glazed edge trim). The worship hall’s beam structure is unique: four internal pillars run straight across the hall to the roof ridge, from which four cross beams extend horizontally. Upright columns are placed on the beams, which support purlins; flying rafters project from the eaves, along with eave purlins, large and small architraves, and flat architraves, all adorned with colorful paintings. Eight square stone pillars—four on each side—stand below the eaves. The front pillars are inscribed with couplets in regular script: the central couplet reads, “Abundant blessings over the human realm, great divine power in disaster relief and peril prevention; sacred discernment evident in punishing evil and rewarding good in the netherworld.” The side couplets read, “Resplendent and bright, meting out rewards and punishments for worldly good and evil; resolutely just, upholding the people across the land.” On the back side, the upper couplet on the pillars reads, “Unclouded wisdom foresees thoughts returning early; impartial and selfless, ultimate retribution differs for good and evil.” The central couplet reads, “Worldly affairs are hard to equalize, yet the netherworld observes without bias; human hearts are unpredictable, but the spirits shine through with total impartiality.”

Above the first cross beam inside the worship hall, latticed wooden panels are installed. The central three bays feature stele plaques in clerical script, inscribed with nine large characters: the middle one reads “Hall of Justice,” the right one “Responsibility,” and the left one “Discipline” (these three plaques are believed to have been installed by the original Weichuan County government during the Republican era). Flanking the worship hall are six-bay east and west corridor rooms on each side. Though modified, their wooden framework remains unchanged—removing the brick walls would restore their original appearance.

The original mountain gate of the Weichuan Chenghuang Temple was grand and imposing, designed in a pavilion style, but unfortunately destroyed during the Great Leap Forward. The current gate has been modified, but still retains the wooden framework of the original mountain gate, including visible pillars, large and small architraves, and flat architraves. Removing the brick walls would reveal the original central gate and the side gates, maintaining its majestic aura. Notably, a pair of stone lions on the south side of the gate stands 247 cm tall, 77 cm long (east-west), and 58 cm wide (north-south), with pedestals 107 cm high and the lions themselves 140 cm tall. The carvings are round and rustic in style. The pedestal of the eastern lion bears an inscription of 62 characters, most of which are blurred. Research confirms it was carved in the seventeenth year of the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty (1504 AD), making these lions nearly 500 years old—an exquisitely valuable pair of Ming Dynasty stone sculptures.

Today, the Weichuan Chenghuang Temple serves as the hub for cultural activities among the local residents of Weichuan Town. In 1985, it was designated as a cultural relic protection unit by the Weishi County People’s Government. In 1990, its protected area was officially demarcated. In 2006, it was listed as a key cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province by the Henan Provincial People’s Government.

- Travel Tips:

Admission: Free

Opening Hours: 8:00–19:00

Address: North side of Chengzhong Road, Weichuan Town, Weishi County, Kaifeng City

Weichuan Town: Located in the southwestern border of Weishi County, Weichuan Town borders Zhucu to the east, Gangli to the west, Dama to the north, and faces Changge County across the Shuangji River to the south. The town government is based in Weichuan, which lies 25 km from the county seat. The town stretches 6.? km from north to south and 12 km from east to west, covering a total area of 55.3 square km, accounting for 4.2% of the county’s total area. The population density is 839 people per square km, with 62,948 mu of arable land, averaging 1.36 mu per person.

Weichuan derives its name from its location in the flat plain downstream of the Wei River. During the Warring States period, it was divided among the states of Zheng, Han, and Wei. The Sui and Tang dynasties established Weizhou here... More details on Weichuan Town++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units