Guogong Ancient Temple

Guogong Ancient Temple

Guogong Ancient Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Located at No. 46 Xin’an Street in the Zumiao Subdistrict, also known as Eguo Gong Temple, it was first built during the Ming Dynasty. It served as an important site for the iron-forging industry’s deity worship ceremonies and ancestral master veneration in Foshan, and is the only surviving ancient guild temple for traditional handicrafts in the city. The temple enshrines the patron deity of iron smelting, Yu Chengong (also known as Yu Chi Gong, courtesy name Jingde, a renowned general of the early Tang Dynasty and titled Duke of Eguo. Legend says he came from a blacksmith background and possessed unique craftsmanship, hence he is worshipped as the patron deity of the iron casting trade). Folk tradition places a statue of the ancestral master beside iron furnaces, where incense is burned in reverence on the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month.

The Guogong Temple underwent multiple renovations and expansions during the Qing Dynasty under the reigns of Emperors Kangxi, Qianlong, Daoguang, Tongzhi, and Guangxu, gradually taking on a more complete form. During the Qing era, it served as the guild hall for the “Chaotie” (forged iron) nail trade’s Xiyou Guild in Foshan. The complex includes the main gate, incense pavilion, front hall, and rear hall, all of which remain well-preserved to this day. Its mountain gate, incense pavilion, and main hall are arranged along a north-south central axis, featuring a three-courtyard, quadrangle-style layout. This reflects the appearance after renovations in the 15th year of the Daoguang reign (1835) and the 2nd year of the Tongzhi reign (1876), covering a construction area of about 200 square meters. The temple’s mountain gate is solemn yet magnificent, with the stone plaque inscribed “Guogong Ancient Temple” still clearly visible. Both the mountain gate and the main hall feature flush-gable, wok-shaped firewalls, with a three-bay width and a three-bay depth for the main hall. The roof structure combines bracket-and-beam and through-tenon styles. The incense pavilion has a rolled-awning, hip-and-gable roof with a rather unique framework — the rear eave columns also serve as the front eave columns of the main hall, while the front eave columns are not grounded but rest atop the large architraves of the side corridors, a rare design in similar structures. In addition to common decorations such as exquisitely carved woodwork and plaster reliefs, the front eave beams of the mountain gate are adorned with delicate carvings of floral patterns and narrative scenes, adding to its elegant and luxurious feel. The stone brackets of the eave columns even feature carvings of foreign dwarfs, reflecting anti-imperialist sentiments. On the door frames on either side of the mountain gate are a pair of stone couplets erected in the autumn of the 15th year of the Daoguang reign (1835): “Displaying valor to spread martial glory, casting gold to honor divine craftsmanship.” Originally, there was a stage and a large open-air performance ground in front of the temple, used for performances to entertain both humans and deities, but these have since been replaced by residential buildings. The temple no longer houses any statues or ritual objects, but a stele inscribed with a record of donations from the 18 trades of the iron-forging industry during the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty remains.

Foshan’s iron-forging, nail-casting, and hardware industries began in the Ming Dynasty, producing a full range of over 24 trades and dozens of product types, including knives, scissors, nails, axes, chisels, locks, needles, and more, in various shapes such as square, round, flat, and angled. Starting in the Qing Dynasty, the nail-making industry in Foshan Town gradually flourished, with many workshops located on Xin’an Street. Along the nearly 200-meter-long street, dozens of shops operated, most of which both manufactured and sold products, earning national acclaim for their craftsmanship. During the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty (1796–1820), Foshan established a guild hall for the nail trade. From 1923 to 1925, the nail-making industry reached its peak, employing over a thousand workers and producing more than a thousand tons annually, with output reaching 5,000 tons by the 1980s. Products were sold domestically and exported overseas.

In June 1989, Guogong Ancient Temple was designated as a municipal-level cultural heritage protection unit.

Zumiao Subdistrict: Located in the northeastern part of Chancheng District, Foshan City, the Zumiao Subdistrict borders Guiwan Road to the east, Jihua Road to the south, Foshan Avenue to the west, and the northern bank of the Fenjiang River to the north. Covering an area of 21.5 square kilometers with a population of about 600,000, it governs 64 administrative villages (residential committees). As the core urban area of Foshan, it hosts the municipal government and CPC Foshan Committee headquarters. The subdistrict concentrates most of the city’s key cultural, educational, medical, and social welfare institutions, making it the current political, economic, commercial, and cultural center of Foshan.

Rich historical and cultural heritage. As the core area of Foshan, the Zumiao Subdistrict boasts a history spanning a thousand years... More details about Zumiao Subdistrict ++