Fengxian Xizhen Taoist Temple: From Sacred Hall and Ancient Monastery to County Administrative Landmark
The Qing dynasty poet Huang Zhijun once penned the verse, “Before the Three Maidens’ Hill stands a temple, Fengxian’s new county seat resides,” subtly alluding to a distinctive structure—the Xizhen Taoist Temple. This Taoist site, nestled west of Nanqiao Town in Shanghai’s Fengxian District, not only preserves local religious memory but also served as Fengxian’s provisional county seat during its early years, bearing witness to the administrative evolution of this Jiangnan town. Its journey—from founding in the Song Dynasty to flourishing in the Qing Dynasty before eventual decline—mirrors a condensed chapter of local cultural history.
1. Founding and Evolution: The Historical Mists of the Song Dynasty’s Holy Hall
The origins of Xizhen Taoist Temple are shrouded in historical obscurity. Local chronicles offer conflicting accounts: “founded during the Song Dynasty” versus “constructed in the 20th year of the Zhizheng era of the Yuan Dynasty.” Later scholarly research confirms the Song Dynasty origin, supported by the ancient name “Xizhen Holy Hall” recorded in prefectural annals. At its inception, the monastery was modest in scale, housing only a single beam structure enshrining the statue of the True Martial Emperor, hence the name “Sacred Hall.” This aligns with the trend of Taoism becoming secularized in the Jiangnan region during the Song Dynasty.
From the Yuan dynasty onward, the temple gradually fell into disrepair until a turning point arrived in the early Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty. Taoist priest Du Jingchun inherited the unfinished aspirations of his master, Wu Yaozhen, and undertook expansions with the support of local devotees. Residents Wu Daoguang and his son Wu Sen donated one mu and five fen of land adjacent to the hall. Du Jingchun further purchased additional land, ultimately constructing “five-bay structures housing the Jade Emperor above and venerating the founding masters below,” establishing a vertically layered religious spatial arrangement. This project not only restored the temple’s religious functions but also laid the foundation for its status as a local cultural landmark.
2. Golden Age and Transformation: Comprehensive Development During the Qianlong Era
Under the stewardship of Wu Wenguang, the temple reached its zenith during the Qianlong reign. This Taoist priest not only raised funds to construct auxiliary buildings—including the gate tower, side halls, and flanking structures—but crucially completed the “riverbank reinforcement with stone embankments” project. These stone embankments not only prevented riverbank collapses that threatened the temple structures but also enhanced the surrounding environment. This created a complete layout where “the gate tower faced the street in front, while stone embankments protected the river behind,” giving rise to the historical record describing the temple as having “fully established regulations.”
More uniquely, after Fengxian was divided into two counties in the fourth year of the Yongzheng reign (1726), the county government temporarily established its seat at Xizhen Taoist Temple because the new county seat, Fengcheng, had yet to be built. This transformation of a religious site into an administrative center was uncommon in the Jiangnan region. Huang Zhijun’s verse “Fengxian’s New County Seat” serves as a literary testament to this unique historical moment. The Taoist temple thus transcended its purely religious function, becoming a political symbol during Fengxian’s formative years as a county.
3. Rise, Fall, and Echoes: Cultural Memory in Obscured History
Historical records offer scant details regarding the exact time and reasons for Xizhen Taoist Temple’s abandonment. However, considering the broader history of the Nanqiao area, the Taiping Rebellion wars (1860s) likely marked a pivotal turning point. While the Nanqiao Catholic Church survived under French protection during the same period, the Taoist temple could not escape its fate, gradually fading into obscurity over time. This ancient sanctuary, enduring from the Song Dynasty to the late Qing, ultimately “perished without remnants,” leaving only scattered records in local annals.
Today, though the physical structure of Xizhen Taoist Temple has vanished, its cultural influence remains faintly discernible. Its rise and fall mirrored the common fate of Taoist sites in Jiangnan: reliant on support from local gentry and devotees, yet vulnerable to the ravages of war and administrative upheavals. As the first location of Fengxian’s “county government,” it carried not only religious significance but also early memories of local governance. The original name “Xizhen Holy Hall,” linked to the worship of Zhenwu, also offers crucial clues for studying the development of Taoism in Shanghai.
From a Song Dynasty shrine to a Qing Dynasty county seat, the three-century journey of Xizhen Taoist Temple serves as a microcosm of religious, political, and social transformations in the Fengxian region. The architectural details and historical scenes buried in historical records still await future generations to piece together a more complete picture of local culture through documentary research and field investigations.
