Shanghai City God Temple is located in the most prosperous City God Temple tourist area in Shanghai. It is an important Taoist temple in Shanghai. It was built during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty (1403-1424) and has been around for nearly 600 years. history. Due to the special status of the Shanghai City God enshrined in the Shanghai City God Temple in the Shanghai area, the construction and development of the Shanghai City God Temple Taoist Temple has received enthusiastic support from the people in the Shanghai area during the nearly six hundred years of development. From Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1403-1424) to Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty (1821-1850), the temple base of the Shanghai City God Temple continued to expand, and the number of palace buildings continued to increase. In its most prosperous period, the total area reached 49.9 acres of land, about 33,000 square meters. . As an important Taoist temple in Shanghai, the Shanghai City God Temple naturally suffered a major blow during the Cultural Revolution. The statues were destroyed and the temple was used for other purposes. In 1994, with the gradual implementation of the policy of freedom of religious belief, the Shanghai City God Temple was restored and became a Taoist temple managed by Zhengyi Taoist priests. With the concern of leaders at all levels and the support of Taoist believers, the Shanghai City God Temple has basically completed the first phase of the restoration project in just six years. Today's Shanghai City God Temple includes six halls: Huoguang Hall, Jiazi Hall, Caishen Hall, Cihang Hall, City God Hall, and Empress Hall, with a total area of ??about one thousand square meters. "If you don't go to the City God's Temple in Shanghai, you haven't been to Greater Shanghai." This shows the status and influence of the Old City God's Temple in Shanghai. The City God is the patron saint of cities in Taoism. According to legend, during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty (early 15th century), Zhang Shouyue, the magistrate of Shanghai, transformed the Jinshan Temple (also known as Huo Guangxing Temple) on Fangbang Road into the City God Temple we see today. Rebuilt in 1926, the hall is 4.8 feet high and 6.34 feet deep. It has a reinforced concrete structure, colorful rafters, painted pillars, green tiles and red eaves, greatly increasing its scale. After the Anti-Japanese War, in order to distinguish it from the New Town God's Temple (originally located at the Lianyun intersection of Jinling West Road), it was called the Old Town God's Temple.
The Old Town God’s Temple in Shanghai was originally the Huo Guang Shrine, dedicated to the famous Eastern Han Dynasty general Huo Guang. The construction of the City God Temple in Shanghai became a tradition, and Huo Guang became the oldest City God in Shanghai. Qin Yubo was a famous figure in Hebei Province at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. He once lived in Shanghai. Legend has it that he was a filial son. His mother lamented that she had never seen the Jinluan Palace, so she built a building that resembled the Jinluan Palace. After being tipped off, the emperor sent people to investigate. He changed the temple into Jinshan Temple overnight and avoided a disaster. When the Qing army moved south, it encountered strong resistance from the people in the Shanghai area. The Qing army generals were preparing to massacre the city. On the eve of the massacre, a general of the Qing army dreamed of Qin Yubo, and Qin warned him not to kill anyone, so he canceled the plan to massacre the city. Because Qin Yubo "appeared" and saved the people of Shanghai, he was listed as the City God. It is the third City God who makes Shanghai people truly worship him. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War in 1937, citizens brought out from the "Chen Gong Temple" the statue of Chen Huacheng, the Jiangnan admiral who was bloodied at Wusongkou during the Second Opium War in 1842 and died in the Wusong Fort. The statue of Chen Huacheng, a junior who was enshrined in the main hall at that time, was made by folk sculptors into a lifelike heroic image with a red face, high spirits, piercing eyes. These three city gods were "swept out" during the "Cultural Revolution" and have now been honored as gods.
The Old Town God’s Temple Art Arena features cockfighting performances, acrobatic performances, and Perak calligraphy, among other “unique Chinese” folk arts.