City God Temple in the Bustling City

Jiexiu is named after Jie Zitui, a famous minister of Duke Wen of Jin, one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period. It is also the birthplace of the Cold Food Festival and the Qingming Festival. The City God Temple of Jiexiu is located at No. 285, East Street, Jiexiu City, Shanxi Province. It is mainly used to worship the City God, who is regarded as the god in charge of the city and the guardian of the land. It is a key cultural relic under state protection. The City God Temple was built during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. It faces south and has a rigorous layout. It is tall, magnificent, and well-proportioned. The central axis is composed of a screen wall, a mountain gate, a stage, a main hall, and a sleeping hall from south to north. On both sides are the bell tower, drum tower, and side halls. The main part of the temple is well-preserved, with a high level of design and a well-documented history of repairs. It is an important example of ancient wooden architecture. The main hall has seven rooms, with a double-eave hip roof and yellow-green glazed ridge decorations. The glazed ridge tiles, ridge beasts, and roof figurines are perfectly shaped and colored. The glazed windbreak boards and hanging fish are particularly exquisite. Unfortunately, they cannot be fully seen from inside the temple, so it is recommended to take photos from outside. The temple originally enshrined a statue of the City God, with judges, ox-headed and horse-faced demons, and black and white impermanence ghosts on both sides. Unlike other City God Temples, this temple has an abacus and two plaques. One plaque has the three characters "明白处" (Ming Bai Chu) in running script, and the other has the five characters "你也来了么" (Ni Ye Lai Le Ma). The large abacus is used by the City God to calculate the length of life and the amount of good and evil deeds. Near the abacus is a banner with the words "不由人算" (Bu You Ren Suan), meaning that life and death are determined by heaven. The music building in the temple has a hard mountain roof with a rolled shed structure. The top is decorated with yellow-green glazed ridge spires, ridge beasts, and square glazed tiles. The ridge beasts, roof figurines, pavilions, and vases are all perfectly shaped and colored. There is a passage on the lower level of the music building that leads to the temple courtyard. The attraction is free to visit, but registration is required. It is closed on Mondays and has a lunch break from 12:00 to 2:00. It is close to the Houtu Temple, the Xianshen Tower, and the museum. Note that Jiexiu attractions have a lunch break, so you can visit the museum during this time and plan your itinerary accordingly.