City God (East Asia)
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The Chenghuangshen (), is a
tutelary deity A tutelary () (also tutelar) is a deity or a spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept of safety an ...
or deities in
Chinese folk religion Chinese folk religion, also known as Chinese popular religion comprehends a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. Vivienne Wee described it as "an empty bowl, which can variously be filled ...
who is believed to protect the people and the affairs of the particular village, town or city of great dimension, and the corresponding afterlife location. Beginning over 2000 years ago, the cult of the Chenghuangshen originally involved worship of a protective deity of a town's walls and moats. Later, the term came to be applied to deified leaders from the town, who serve in authority over the souls of the deceased from that town, and intervene in the affairs of the living, in conjunction with other officials of the hierarchy of divine beings.


Name

In the name ''Chenghuangshen'' (), the first character ''cheng'' () means "
city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...
" (a "defensive rampart"; or, by extension, "walled city") and the second character, ''huang'' (), literally means " moat". '' Shen'' () means a god. Put together, Chenghuangshen was originally the name of a deity or type of deity believed to be able to provide divine protection to a city's physical defenses, particularly its surrounding wall and moat. Later the concept became more generalized, and the meaning extended to the office itself of such a deity, rather than the presumed office-holder (in later times, it was standard to officially appoint the spirit of the government official in charge of the city to a three-year term as City God, upon his decease).


History

There are temples dedicated to the local City God in many cities of China. Much as the ancient Indians, the ancient Sumerians, and the
ancient Greeks Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...
did, the Chinese traditionally believed that guardian gods watched over cities. Chenghuangshen are believed to be involved in communal concerns such as the need for rain, and may be involved in personal requests such as recovery from illness. Town residents may appeal to the City God for help in a natural disaster or other crisis. The City God may also be called upon to help those who are accused of crimes. The accused appear before the god and ask for a sign to help prove their innocence. Usually, these patron gods are deified deceased officials. Chenghuangshen are believed to hold an important position in the imperial times it was often debated whether local gods such as the City God held more power than the local officials. There could also be a relation between the City God and the official. The official or magistrate would often turn to the Chenghuangshen for advice and help in governing the city. Over time a large number of City God positions were created by official decrees, along with accompanying temples and images. Of these offices of City God, some might be a low ranking post in charge of a small village; others might be on the level of a whole province. In any case, by the nineteenth century the duties of the City God generally included accompanying three official processions per year and to perform certain administrative functions for the local spirits of the dead: on the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month to let the ghost-spirits out of their winter quarters; on the 1st of the 7th month, to take census of the ghosts and ensure that they were fed; and on the biggest event of the three, the 1st of the 10th month, to gather together all the spirits, provide them all with winter clothing, and put them in their winter dwellings.


Worship of the City God

Chinese culture traditionally maintained a distinction between official religion and popular religion. In official religion, worship of the City God was according to the dictates of written legislation and was to be performed by officials and degree holders. The associated activities were designed to help legitimize the state in the eyes of the common people and preserve local social status distinctions. The prescribed sacrifices for a Chenghuangshen are described in the "Auspicious Rites" section of the ''Da Qing Tongli'', the
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...
manual for rituals. The official worship of a City God was a solemn and dignified event, with various ceremonies held inside the temples. The animals and food that were sacrificed to the Chenghuangshen were carefully inspected by the religious officials to make sure that they were good enough for the City God. On the other hand, the City God was liable for punishment if he failed to perform his duties as requested: for example failure on his part to bring rain when properly asked could result in his sacred image being exposed to the burning rays of the sun, or being bodily whipped by the governor or magistrate. The popular worship of a Chenghuangshen is much more flexible. People from both rural and urban areas come to pray to him or her, asking for specific favors. The most common favor requested in these prayers is good health. On the City God's birthday the people of the town or city have a great celebration (''
miaohui Miaohui (), literally temple gatherings or translated as temple fairs, also called yíngshén sàihuì ( "collective rituals to greet the gods"), are Chinese religious gatherings held by Miao shrines for the worship of the Chinese gods and im ...
'') to honor the City God. These ceremonies often draw huge crowds of people and involve theatrical performances, sales of refreshments, fireworks, firecrackers, beating of gongs and drums, and incense burning.


Hong Kong

During the
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...
, the
emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
appointed a City God (Shing Wong) for all major cities in mainland China to govern and look after their land.
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
had no appointed magistrate and therefore no protection of a Shing Wong. In 1877 Hong Kong built their first Shing Wong temple, which was originally named ''Fook Tak Tsz'' (). It remains there today, at the junction of Shau Kei Wan Main Street East and Kam Wa Street, in
Shau Kei Wan Shau Kei Wan or Shaukiwan is a neighborhood in the Eastern District of Hong Kong Island. The area is bordered by Chai Wan to the east, Mount Parker to the south, Sai Wan Ho to the west, and Victoria Harbour to the north. Shau Kei Wan is cons ...
. It has undergone many updates and name changes. A new outer wall was built in 1974, giving the feeling of a temple within a temple. The temple is now officially called the Shing Wong Temple. The deities
Tudigong Tudigong ( "Lord of the Soil and the Ground") or Tudishen ( "God of the Soil and the Ground"), also known simply as Tudi ( "Soil-Ground") is a tutelary deity of a locality and the human communities who inhabit it in Chinese folk religion and Tao ...
(), Shing Wong, and Ng Tung () are enshrined in the temple. There is some evidence that, prior to the building of the Fook Tak Tsz in Shau Kei Wan, there was a Shing Wong temple built at the junction of Shing Wong Street and
Hollywood Road Hollywood Road is a street in Central and Sheung Wan, on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The street runs between Central and Sheung Wan, with Wyndham Street, Arbuthnot Road, Ladder Street, Upper Lascar Row, and Old Bailey Street in the vicini ...
, where Queen's College later stood. However, both buildings have been torn down. There are other temples located in Hong Kong that house the deity Shing Wong, such as the
Man Mo Temple Man Mo Temple or Man Mo Miu is a temple for the worship of the Civil or Literature God Man Tai () / Man Cheong () and the Martial God Mo Tai () / Kwan Tai (). The two Deities were popularly patronized by scholars and students seeking progress in ...
.


Thailand

Sia Ung Gong Shrine, the temple of Chenghuangshen, Sampheng, Bangkok. In
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
, Chenghuangshen is comparable to the ''
Lak Mueang Lak mueang ( th, หลักเมือง) are city pillars found in most cities of Thailand. Usually housed in a shrine ( th, ศาลหลักเมือง) which is also believed to house Chao Pho Lak Mueang (), the city spirit deit ...
'' (city pillar) of Thai beliefs. He is often less known or worshiped as other guardian gods, such as
Tudigong Tudigong ( "Lord of the Soil and the Ground") or Tudishen ( "God of the Soil and the Ground"), also known simply as Tudi ( "Soil-Ground") is a tutelary deity of a locality and the human communities who inhabit it in Chinese folk religion and Tao ...
, Pun Tao Kong. His temples are few, such as in a small alley in
Sampheng Sampheng ( th, สำเพ็ง, ) is a historic neighbourhood and market in Bangkok's Chinatown, in Samphanthawong District. It was settled during the establishment of Bangkok in 1782 by Teochew Chinese, and eventually grew into the surroundi ...
, a part of Chinatown. Often his images are worshiped and enshrined with other deities in shrines or temples in different cities, such as Four Heavenly Kings in
Wat Mangkon Kamalawat Wat Mangkon Kamalawat ( th, วัดมังกรกมลาวาส, ), previously (and still commonly) known as Wat Leng Noei Yi ( th, วัดเล่งเน่ยยี่, ; ), is the largest and most important Chinese Buddhist temp ...
, etc.


Prominent temples

* City God Temple of Shanghai * City God Temple of Pingyao * Chiayi Cheng Huang Temple * Chenghuang Temple of Hsinchu *
Taipei Xia-Hai City God Temple The Taipei Xia-Hai City God Temple () is a temple dedicated to the City God or Cheng Huang Ye (城隍爺) in Taipei, Taiwan. History The Xia-Hai City God Temple was built in 1859, and maintained by a single family to the present day. The Ministry ...
*
Magong City God Temple Magong Chenghuang Temple () is a temple in Magong, Penghu, Taiwan. This temple mainly serves Chenghuangye, means ''the lord of City''. ( Chinese: 城隍爺; pinyin: ''Chéng-huáng-yé''), a taoist God, who is in charge of the underworld of an a ...


See also

*
Hou Tu Hòutǔ () or Hòutǔshén (), also Hòutǔ Niángniáng (in Chinese either or ), otherwise called Dimǔ () or Dimǔ Niángniáng (), is the Shen (Chinese religion), deity of deep earth and soil in Chinese folk religion, Chinese religion and Chi ...
(后土) *
Tu Di Gong Tudigong ( "Lord of the Soil and the Ground") or Tudishen ( "God of the Soil and the Ground"), also known simply as Tudi ( "Soil-Ground") is a tutelary deity of a locality and the human communities who inhabit it in Chinese folk religion and Tao ...
(土地公) * Pun Tao Kong (本頭公) *
Heibai Wuchang The Heibai Wuchang, or Hak Bak Mo Seong, literally "Black and White Impermanence", are two Deities in Chinese folk religion in charge of escorting the spirits of the dead to the underworld. As their names suggest, they are dressed in black an ...
(黑白無常) * List of City God Temples in China * Seonangsin * Thành hoàng *
Dōsojin is a generic name for a type of Shinto ''kami'' popularly worshipped in Kantō and neighboring areas in Japan where, as tutelary deities of borders and paths, they are believed to protect travellers, pilgrims, villages, and individuals in "transit ...


References


Sources

* * * * * *


External links


Town God Temple

Asian Historical Architecture.(2007)
Retrieved October 26, 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Chenghuangshen Chinese gods Tutelary deities