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A brief history

The town god temple in Shanghai was initially built in the Song Dynasty but the present one was first put up under the reign of Yongle （1403-1425 ）of the Ming Dynasty and the deity consecrated in the front hall was Huo Guang, a great general of the Han Dynasty while the real Town God Was reserved in the hall behind known as Qin Yubo.

According to the traditional doctrine of Chinese Taoism the town god is a tutelary god for safeguarding the land and water of a definite area, a local god together with the title granted by the emperor in sway. The Town God in Shanghai Qin Yubo was the 7th grandson of Qin Shaoyou, a great academician of the Song Dynasty. When he lived a herimit in Shanghai he became greatly famed for his virtue and integrity. When Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming emperor learnt of him he sent him for three times to take up an official post but he declined graciously. After his passing away the emperor felt sorry for him by saying, "since he's unwilling to be my subject in life he can defend my land in the netherworld." So an imperial order was given making him the town god of Shanghai. The original Town God Temple was reduced to ashes in a fire in 1924 and the present one was a reconstruction in 1926.

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