Temple of the City God in Luzhou Prefecture

Temple of the City God in Luzhou Prefecture

The Temple of the City God in Luzhou Prefecture is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Temple of the City God in Luzhou Prefecture

Temple of the City God in Luzhou Prefecture (Fifth Batch of National Heritage Sites)

Era: Yuan to Qing Dynasty

Address: No. 13 Miaodao Lane, East Street, Changzhi City

The municipal city god temple architectural complex was constructed for the worship of the City God deity and is one of the larger and better-preserved ancient architectural complexes among known municipal city god temples still in existence in China.

The Temple of the City God in Luzhou Prefecture was first built in the 22nd year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty (1285), and underwent expansions and renovations during the 5th year of the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty (1492), the Jiajing and Wanli eras, as well as the 14th year of the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty (1834). Among the existing structures, the main hall and corner halls date back to the Yuan Dynasty, while the bedroom palace, theater stage, and Xuanjian Tower are from the Ming Dynasty, with the rest constructed during the Qing Dynasty.

The City God Temple faces south and has a layout of one entrance leading through three courtyards, covering a total area of 12,229 square meters with a built-up area of 5,175.03 square meters. At the front is a spirit way, with a north–south central axis stretching 408 meters. From south to north along this axis are the Six-Dragon Wall, Hong Gate, wooden memorial archway, stone memorial archway, mountain gate, double-layer tower (Xuanjian Tower), theater stage, offering pavilion, City God Hall, bedroom palace, as well as side halls and corridor rooms on the east and west sides of each courtyard. The bedroom palace has a built-up area of 181.7 square meters, with three visible bays but five actual ones, serving as the resting place for the City God and his consort. It is a remnant from the Ming Dynasty. The black-glazed ceramic dragon on the main ridge of the rear hall is also an original Ming Dynasty artifact. The central main hall is an original Yuan Dynasty structure, built in the 22nd year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty (1285). It is five bays wide and six rafters deep, using the method of reduced columns inside, with only four internal columns. The beam framework is simple yet uses large materials. The front eaves feature bracket sets that exhibit a layered decorative style. The brackets on all sides display colorful paintings of floral patterns and divine beasts.

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units