Ningbo Chenghuang Temple, also known as the Old Temple and Ningbo County Temple, is located in the downtown area. Ningbo Chenghuang Temple is one of the largest Chenghuang temples in China. The temple was built in the fourth year of Hongwu, Ming dynasty (1371). After the completion of the temple, it was repeatedly exposed to fire. The existing temple was rebuilt in the Guangxu tenth year, Qing dynasty(1884). The county temple has Zhaobi, the first door, second door, a stage, a hall, and an apse. The building is complete and magnificent. The stage is especially beautiful, with single eave roof, and the caisson is chicken-cage-shaped. It looks radiant with splendid decorations. There are more than 30 monuments and a well in Song Dynasty preserved in the county temple. Nowadays, Chenghuang Temple has become the largest shopping center in Ningbo, where there are many shops and snacks. It is indeed a good place to learn about the folk customs of Ningbo.

　　Chenghuang Temple has always been the center of food stalls and shops. The various snacks here not only have local characteristics of Ningbo, but also take into account the North-South flavor. Hunting, rice noodles, Ningbo glutinous rice dumplings, vegetables or meat dishes and everything can be found here. It is still one of the most popular snack places for Ningbo citizens.

　　In the early years, there were not many cultural activities. In addition to worshipping Buddhas at the Temple of the City, the citizens also used the Chenghuang Temple as a place of popular entertainment. People who come to Ningbo like to stroll around Chenghuang Temple, so Chenghuang Temple is the most popular place in Ningbo. There are many stalls and folk activities in the temple, such as measuring characters, predicting by looking people's face, singing Ningbo Tanhuang, storytellers, jugglers, and looking at mirrors. In the late Ming Dynasty, there was a poem entitled “Chenghuang Temple”, which could also be used as a portrayal of the Ningbo Chenghuang Temple: “Worshiping the Buddha inside the Chenghuang Temple, and one hundred operas are scattered in the west (also as two) corridors. The prayers go back and buy many things mostly, one by one throwing money constantly."At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Chenghuang Temple had added activities like selling calligraphy and painting. Local and other painters were drawing paintings on the spot and selling them instantly, which adding a cultural atmosphere to the temple. In those days, an unfamous painter from Xiaoshan called Ren Bonian was also selling paintings here. One day, the Ningbo poet and painter Yao Ye, who was viewing paintings at the Chenghuang Temple, saw his paintings and invited him to visit Yao's Dameishan Hall in Zhenhai county. Under the meticulous guidance of Yao Ye, Ren Bonian made great progress in painting, and later became a famous painter. (Promotion)

来源： 中国网    | 作者：俞霄    | 责编：鲍柳初    审核：张渊

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