Lugou Village Earth God Temple

Lugou Village Earth God Temple

The Lugou Village Earth God Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Changzhi City.

The Lugou Village Earth God Temple is located in the west of Lugou Village, Wangqiao Town, Xiangyuan County. It faces east and has a single-courtyard layout, measuring 33.7 meters from east to west and 16.7 meters from north to south, covering an area of approximately 562.8 square meters. The year of its establishment is unknown. According to a Qing Dynasty stele recording its relocation, it was moved to its current site between the 32nd year (1767) and the 47th year (1782) of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, and the existing structure dates back to the Qing Dynasty. Along the central axis from east to west are a three-bay theater stage and a three-bay main hall; symmetrically on both sides are one-story dressing rooms (each with a door facing east), five-bay side rooms, and three-bay wing halls. The main hall is built on a 1.4-meter-high sandstone platform, with a width of three bays, a depth of five rafters, and a front-eaves corridor style featuring a five-rafter beam set against a single forward step beam. It has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, with three-curved single-drooping-bracket sets on the column heads. In recent years, a newly built front eaves wall has obscured the front section, leaving only the bracket sets and part of the upper section visible. A stele recording renovations in the 47th year of Qianlong (1782) is located behind the main hall. In 2007, it was designated as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit by the People’s Government of Changzhi City.

Folklore: When the Jade Emperor assigned the Earth God to descend to the mortal realm, he asked what his aspirations were. The Earth God hoped that everyone in the world would become wealthy and live happily. The Earth Goddess, however, disagreed, believing that people should...

have both the rich and the poor, so that they could divide labor and cooperate to fulfill social functions. The Earth God said, “Then aren’t the poor too pitiable?” The Earth Goddess retorted, “If everyone became rich, who would help carry the bridal sedan chair when our daughter gets married?” The Earth God was left speechless, and thus abandoned this idea that could have led to universal happiness. That’s why there is still such a disparity between the rich and the poor in the world today. People see the Earth Goddess as selfish and call her a “wicked woman,” refusing to worship her, while holding the Earth God in high esteem.

Lugou Village: General Overview of Lugou Village

Lugou Village is located in the southeastern part of Wangqiao Town, adjacent to the Wushang Expressway, enjoying convenient transportation and superior natural conditions. The village has 106 households, a population of 410, and cultivable land of 630 mu. It is divided into 3 villager groups, and the Party branch has 22 members, including 2 female members. In recent years, under the correct leadership of the higher-level Party committee and government, Lugou Village has aimed to build a harmonious new countryside. With the discipline inspection team as the backbone and safeguarding farmers’ interests as the foundation, the village has vigorously strengthened Party conduct and integrity building, focusing on making Party affairs, village affairs, and financial matters transparent. It has actively carried out democratic evaluations... More detailed information about Lugou Village++