A city is a composite text of history and culture, a cultural prism of historical memory.

Cities are composed of small areas, especially Chongqing, which is separated and connected by two rivers. Each street, community, roundabout, and pedestrian street has become the main body of the city's historical memory.

In the 1950s, overlooking the panoramic view of Yuzhong, the Great Hall was the tallest and most recognizable landmark building in the area at that time

The following image is a panoramic picture of the Yuzhong Peninsula now: Fan Xiaodong

Shangqing Temple is a well-known name for people in Chongqing, but few can tell its own story.

Even though this was once the backbone of the anti fascist battlefield in Asia, the cradle of Chinese democratic parties, the birthplace of modern education in Chongqing, and the "brain" that influenced Chongqing's 80 year urban transformation, it is now the nerve center of the youngest municipality directly under the central government in the Republic.

For Yuzhong, Chongqing, China, and even the world, the three words "Shangqing Temple" represent more than just the popular light rail through buildings or the three story road in Liziba. It is the most precious spiritual homeland of Chongqing, a deep memory of the mainland across the strait, and an epic that records the glory and splendor of this city.

The Missing Shangqing Temple "photo provided by Luo Yu

Many years ago, a Chongqing writer named Luo Yu published a novel called "The Missing Shangqing Temple", which explained why the place we call Shangqing Temple cannot see the temple. Today, we present the misty history of Shangqing Temple from the perspective of urban transformation.

Objectively speaking, this is a huge proposition, after all, the legends carried here are so profound and rich. So, we chose to take each time point as a starting point, striving to use these points to connect the historical line of the entire Shangqing Temple.

Because this is a city confidence that everyone living in this city should learn about.

01 From Sanqing Temple to Shangqing Temple

Because it has been too long, the specific historical era cannot be verified. However, according to historical records, during this period, a local gentry living in this area built a "Sanqing Temple" at the current Chongqing Medical University Stomatological Hospital.

Undoubtedly, the Shangqing Temple of that era belonged to the wilderness, surrounded by graves, fields, and hills of various sizes, with sparse population - the urban area of Chongqing had not yet extended to this place. At that time, Chongqing Prefecture was under the jurisdiction of Sichuan Chengxuan Bu Zheng Si. According to records, in the mid Jiajing period, the total population of Sichuan was around 9 million, mostly concentrated around the flat and fertile Chengdu Plain. Chongqing was a remote area at that time, so the population was not large and the urban area was relatively small.

Shangqing Temple was located just outside Chongqing at that time, and even though it was only a few miles away from the city, it was still a remote rural area.

The establishment of the "Sanqing Temple" has made an indelible contribution to the prosperity of this place. It was after the construction of this temple, which covers an area of over 400 square feet, that the surrounding devotees began to come here to worship, gradually bringing popularity. Located on the banks of the Jialing River, with the convenience of boats and boats, many merchants began selling daily necessities such as lime, firewood, and livestock here.

This is the Ming Dynasty version of "culture sets the stage, economy sings the opera". It is in this atmosphere that the "Sanqing Temple" area gradually became a market like area, and signs of prosperity began to emerge.

Residential houses along the Jialing River at the back of No. 50 Zengjiayan

Later on, for some unknown reason, "Sanqing Temple" was renamed "Shangqing Temple", which was the general term for the entire area including the intersection of two roads, the auditorium, and the skydiving tower. The name "Shangqing Temple" has also been passed down since then.

No one knew that this name would bring so many legends to this world hundreds of years later.

And the story.

02 Early Foreigner Street in Chongqing

The late Ming and early Qing dynasties were the most tragic period in the entire history of China, especially for Chongqing. That is a sad song of the great era. When Zhang Xianzhong broke through Tongyuanmen, almost none of the Chongqing indigenous people who had been plundered survived. According to research, in the first year of Kangxi's reign, the population of Sichuan was only around 500000, and there were only a few hundred families left in Chongqing city (now from Chaotianmen to Qixinggang)

The Shangqing Temple located outside Chongqing City is even more imaginable.

The "Recruitment and Filling of Sichuan Edict in the 33rd Year of Kangxi" currently existing in the Huguang Guild Hall

In 1694, Kangxi issued the "Kangxi Thirty Three Year Recruitment and Filling of Sichuan Edict", which marked the beginning of the decades long migration from Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong, Henan and other regions to Sichuan and Chongqing, known as the "Huguang Filling of Sichuan" in history.

The Shangqing Temple still stands tall.

With the passage of time and the proliferation of immigrants and indigenous people, Chongqing gradually began to restore its old situation. But at this time, the area around Shangqing Temple has not yet entered the urban area of Chongqing.

The prosperity of the Qing Dynasty reached its peak during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, and thereafter, the land of China was forced to rapidly collide and integrate with the Western world.

Local nuns in Chongqing captured by Western photographers in the early years

In the last century, to be precise, in 1918, the Carmelite Sisters acquired 15 acres of land and built a Carmelite Sisters' Seminary in Longjiawan, Zengjiayan. They constructed over 40 houses and a church. In 1920, the Carmelite Sisters' Seminary was established in Zengjiayan, marking the beginning of the official landing of this church from the Degas Mountains in Palestine in Chongqing.

The ruins of the ascetic institute are located at No. 126 Yujian Village, Zengjiayan

At that time, most of the activities of other churches from abroad were also in the Shangqing Temple and Zengjiayan areas. Just behind today's Zhou Mansion, at No. 126 Yujian Village in Zengjiayan, several damaged Roman columns can still be seen, which is the site of the seminary. It is said that there are also "foreigner graves" nearby that specialize in burying foreigners.

As we have written before, from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China, foreign missionaries settled in the area of Shangqing Temple and established multiple missionary schools from Longquan Cave to Shangxia Zengjiayan and Shangqing Temple. Regardless of its purpose, it cannot be denied that this is the beginning and starting point of Western style education in Chongqing.

The gate of Jingxiu School in the early years, provided by the Chongqing Three Gorges Museum of China

In 1893, the Evangelical Church of America purchased land and built a building, and the Precision School of the Christian MEM Church was officially established in Zengjiayan. Liu Bocheng served as a military training instructor at the school in the early years of the Republic of China, and Chinese painting master Zhang Daqian also studied at the school in 1914, which was the predecessor of Chongqing Jingxiu Middle School.

The former site of No. 50 Zengjiayan in the 1950s

In 1928, the Catholic Diocese of Chongqing established Mingde Primary School, also known as Zengjiayan Twelve Primary School, on Changshijian Street in Zengjiayan. After liberation, it was renamed Zengjiayan Elementary School.

Old photo of Zengjiayan Elementary School

Qiming School was founded by a branch of Catholicism, the French Society of Our Lady of Notre Dame, and was renamed Mingcheng Middle School in 1925. After liberation, the school building was taken over by the Southwest Bureau and rebuilt as the Wudu Hotel in 1988.

There is still a road called Meizhuangyuan Street in Shangqing Temple, but few people know why it is called that. This actually originated from 1925, when Chongqing art industry leaders Yang Gongtuo, Wan Congmu, He Pinjiu and others initiated an organization to establish the Southwest Art Specialized School. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, it was renamed Southwest Art Vocational School, and now it is renamed Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts.

Yes, you read it right. This is the original site of Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, one of the eight major art academies in China and a temple of contemporary Chinese art.

Later, Chuanmei relocated to Huangjueping and then to Chongqing University City, while Shangqingsi Art School Street never changed its name.

Like a mother waiting for a wanderer to return home.

Shangqing Temple in the Urbanization Process of the Republic of China

The time when Shangqing Temple truly entered the urban circle began in 1921. At that time, Yang Sen, the supervisor of Chongqing Commercial Port, mainly focused on the construction of Jiangbei New Area, supplemented by the renovation of Chongqing's main city, expanded the new urban area, withdrew from Jiangmen, and developed intercity transportation.

The Shangqing Temple, located only a few miles away from the old Chongqing city, has also embarked on the path of urbanization.

Although not achieved overnight, change has indeed occurred.

The complete map of Chongqing city in 1925, when the Shangqingsi area was not yet on the map

During this period, Sichuan warlord Liu Xiang occupied Chongqing. In 1924, he opened mountains and blasted rocks in the area of Shangqing Temple, and filled up graves with soil. His purpose was also to open up a market and increase the commercial atmosphere of the area. In 1925, for some unknown reason, Guizhou warlord Yuan Zuming and Liu Xiang caught fire at Shangqing Temple, leading to a major battle. Unfortunately, most of the statues in Shangqing Temple were destroyed in the gunfire.

The above picture shows the urban planning map of 1935, which officially included the Shangqing Temple and Zengjiayan area in the newly expanded urban area. Two exit roads, Nanqu Road and Beiqu Road, ultimately intersect here, determining the position of Shangqing Temple as an important transportation hub in the early days

As the saying goes, after the Liu Yuan War, the mayor of Chongqing at that time, Pan Wenhua, built roads to expand the city, demolished city gates, and abolished all city gates such as Chaotian Gate and Nanji Gate. Chongqing was like a living organism, slowly expanding its body outward. From the urban planning map of 1935, we can clearly see that the Shangqing Temple and Zengjiayan area were officially included in the newly expanded urban area of Chongqing. The two exit roads, Nanqu Road and Beiqu Road, ultimately intersect here, laying the foundation for Shangqing Temple's important position as a transportation hub in Chongqing's early days.

The turntable of Shangqing Temple in the 1950s

This is the beginning of Shangqing Temple entering the urban area.

At that time, the urban area of Chongqing was twice as large as before, and the appearance of the city was greatly improved. A batch of new buildings also appeared on both sides of the Shangqing Temple main road. Due to the expected prosperity, Sichuan military generals and business tycoons seized the business opportunity and bought land from Zengjiayan, Shangqing Temple, Niujiaotuo, and Guihuayuan to build mansions, forming a new urban area. Most of these mansions were later requisitioned by important officials of the Republic of China government

This means that since entering the urban area, Shangqing Temple has been at the forefront of the times.

Unfinished to be continued