The Transition to Publicization of Chenghuang Temple and the Rise of Affiliated Gardens in Shanghai During the Qing Dynasty

The During the Qing Kangxi and Qianlong periods, the burgeoning commerce and handicraft industries catalyzed the rapid rise of urbanization and population growth in Shanghai. The gentry class, with the increasing activity of commercial organizations and rapid population movement, further expanded and actively engaged in the management of urban public affairs. Meanwhile, the official cult of the City God, established since the Ming Dynasty, continued to evolve with the changing times. By this period, it had completely transitioned into folk and secular practices, with its significance in entertaining gods and people, as well as ensuring fair trials, overshadowing its solemn national sacrificial functions from the Ming Dynasty. This paper focuses on the publicization transformation of the City God Temple in Shanghai and the emergence of suburban temple gardens. It reveals how the neglect of maintenance and management of City God temples by local governments in the mid-to-late Qing dynasty spurred the active involvement of the gentry class and ordinary townsfolk. They gradually became the driving force behind the flourishing of City God temples and affiliated suburban temple gardens in 18th-century Shanghai. These temple gardens gradually transformed into public spaces for local residents' activities and economic endeavors. Yuyuan, Qiuxiapu, Qushuiyuan, and Guyi Garden successively became affiliated gardens of City God temples in various prefectures and counties. This paper also explores the historical background behind the transformation of these classical gardens into suburban temple gardens.