Changxindian Fire God Temple, Religious temple in Changxindian Subdistrict, China.
Changxindian Fire God Temple is a Taoist temple at 196 Changxindian Street, facing west. Three brick gate bays with imitation-wood arches carry a stone plaque reading "Chijian Yanzuo Shanqing Gong", framed by two dragons chasing a pearl. Behind stands the three-bay Hall of Heavenly Kings with one-dou-two-sheng brackets ending in hemp-leaf tips, six sets in the central bay and four in the side bays.
The founding date of the Changxindian Fire God Temple is unknown; the surviving buildings date roughly to the Ming dynasty. Before 1949 the temple drew many worshippers, especially during the market fairs held on the 1st, 4th, 7th and 9th days of lunar months. During the 1923 Erqi (February 7th) railway workers' strike, the temple housed the Wanping County Changxindian police station, where military police suppressed strikers; picket leader Ge Shugui was shot in the head and died. In 2013 the temple was listed as a national key cultural relic under the name "Former Site of the Police Station".
The temple is dedicated to Huode Zhenjun, the fire deity, and before 1949 drew heavy incense traffic. On market days in the first, fourth, seventh and ninth lunar months, firecracker vendors clustered here while folk groups performed lion dance, stilt walking, diabolo spinning and Shaolin martial arts.
The temple stands at 196 Changxindian Street, facing west, with its gate and Heavenly King Hall set one behind the other along a single axis. The surviving halls are modest in size, so a visit takes little time; the stone plaque above the gate is easy to miss if you do not look up.
The temple is listed as a national key cultural relic under the name "Former Site of the Police Station" because it served as the Wanping County police post during the February 7 General Strike. Strike picket leader Ge Shugui was shot in the head here and died after being carried to Liu Tie's shop.
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