On August 15, 1945, the Anti Japanese War was won. In September 1949, under the leadership of the CPC, the War of Liberation was won. On the early morning of November 30, 1949, Chiang Kai shek and others fled Chongqing by plane. On the afternoon of November 30th, five battalions of the vanguard units of the 11th, 12th, and 47th armies of the People's Liberation Army entered the urban area of Chongqing.

The People's Liberation Army enters Chongqing city

The new era of Shangqing Temple began at this time.

01 The 'brain' of the entire Southwest

Chongqing was liberated, and the Southwest Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was stationed in Chongqing. Comrade Deng Xiaoping served as the first secretary of the Southwest Bureau, Marshal Liu Bocheng as the second secretary, and Marshal He Long as the third secretary. At that time, the office of the Southwest Military Commission was also located in the courtyard of No. 36, Zhongshan Fourth Road, Shangqing Temple, in the former Nationalist Government Building. The office building of the Southwest Bureau was located in Building 8 of the courtyard, in the former Executive Yuan Building of the Nationalist Government.

At the same time, the three leaders also set up their residences within the courtyard. The Shangqing Temple has left behind their glorious achievements in leading the construction of Southwest China, as well as traces of their lives.

Chiang Kai shek's former residence - Yaolu Tuyuan: Luo Dawan

It was from that era that the courtyard at No. 36 Zhongshan Fourth Road, Shangqing Temple began to become the "brain" that influenced Chongqing's 80 year urban transformation.

As Deng Xiaoping said, Chongqing has been liberated, and the working people have turned over and become masters, offering a "meat tooth sacrifice". However, this is not enough, and the people of Chongqing also need to offer a "cultural tooth sacrifice".

Subsequently, schools, sports fields, parks, auditoriums, cultural palaces, Jialing River Bridge... sprung up like mushrooms in Shangqing Temple.

The current 'Five Star Building'

The Jinyi Luyu Military Region Cadre Children's School, founded in 1945 in Handan, Hebei Province, is located at No. 11 Zhongshan Fourth Road, Shangqing Temple. Liu Bocheng named and wrote the school motto, with Deng Xiaoping's wife Zhuo Lin as the first principal and He Long as the first chairman.

Yes, this is the later Chongqing People's Primary School, and the four words "People's Primary School" were named and inscribed by Liu Bocheng.

Model of Otawan Sports Stadium

He Long kicks off for the first game at Ota Wan Sports Stadium

In 1956, the first Grade A sports stadium in New China, Datianwan Sports Stadium, was built at Shangqing Temple. On May 1st of that year, the first Workers' Sports Conference of Chongqing was held, with more than 1700 athletes participating. He Long also personally kicked off the first football match.

The grandeur of the Ota Bay Sports Stadium during the competition period

Afterwards, on the day of the competition, the cheering of "Xiongqi" resounded like thunder.

In 1958, the first bridge in the urban area of Chongqing, the Niujiaotuo Jialing River Bridge, officially started construction. It started from Niujiaotuo in Shangqing Temple and ended at Dongjia Creek in the north of the river, with a total length of 600.56 meters and a width of 21.5 meters. The connection between Yuzhong and Jiangbei began to slowly enter a new era.

Famous figures from all walks of life in Chongqing attend the opening ceremony of the Jialing River Bridge in Niujiaotuo

Jialing River Yangtze River Bridge, photographed in 1993

At that time, the highest achievement in cultural construction was undoubtedly the Chongqing People's Great Hall. She was led by Deng Xiaoping and fully promoted by leaders such as He Long, using the city's manpower and financial resources to build it, which is a treasure in the history of Chinese architecture.

Old photo of Chongqing People's Grand Hall, taken in 1954

The People's Great Hall of Chongqing in a sunny world

This antique ethnic architectural complex consists of a large auditorium and four main parts: the east, south, and north buildings. The total area is 66000 square meters, of which the auditorium occupies 18500 square meters. The auditorium building is 65 meters high, with a clear height of 55 meters and an inner diameter of 46.33 meters. The circular hall is surrounded by four floors of high-rise buildings and can accommodate more than 3400 people.

Internal environment of Chongqing People's Grand Hall

As a landmark building in Chongqing and one of the grandest auditorium buildings in China, the Great Hall has been rated as one of the "Top Ten Classic Buildings of the 20th Century in Asia".

It is worth mentioning that not far from the sports stadium, there is a skydiving tower from the Anti Japanese War period. At that time, it held several first titles in Asia, towering high and pointing straight to the sky. After achieving success, it became a cultural landmark, seemingly changing its identity and watching the beautiful changes that have taken place in the area of Shangqing Temple.

The old shadow of the skydiving tower

In the early days of liberation, Chongqing was the location of the Southwest Region at that time, and was a regional and central municipality. It inherited its historical position as the center of politics, economy, military, culture, and education in the Southwest region, and still played its central and core role in socialist revolution and construction. As the "brain", Shangqing Temple was the most important political and cultural highland in the entire Southwest region.

Not one of them.

Overlooking Shangqing Temple

02 The neural center of the youngest municipality directly under the central government of the Republic

In March 1951, the Southwest Museum was established at Shangqing Temple. In October 1951, the Southwest Museum was officially exhibited to the public, and the then Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, Guo Moruo, inscribed the name of the museum. In June 1955, Southwest Museum was renamed Chongqing Museum.

Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum Source: Zhou Bo

This is the predecessor of the Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum, which was one of the first national first-class museums and a national level museum jointly built by the central and local governments.

Image source: Yuan Ding

In April 1954, the First District of Chongqing successively established 21 street offices in Shangqingsi and other streets, serving as dispatched agencies of the First District People's Government of Chongqing to handle government affairs. This is the beginning of the establishment of the Shangqingsi Street Office.

In the following decades, it was the decades of China's full development, as well as the decades of Chongqing's full development of the economy and people's livelihood. The No. 36 Zhongshan Fourth Road Courtyard of Shangqing Temple, as the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee Courtyard, continued to play its central role with determination.

In July 1958, Chongqing Post Office and Chongqing Telecommunications Bureau merged to establish Chongqing Post and Telecommunications Bureau, with the office located at No.1 Shangqingsi Special Park. In 1969, Chongqing Post and Telecommunications Bureau was abolished and divided into Chongqing Post Office and Chongqing Telecommunications Bureau, both located in Shangqing Temple.

The turntable of Shangqing Temple in the 1950s

As time goes by, with the economic development of the whole Chongqing, the traffic volume gradually increases, and the turntable of Shangqing Temple also becomes more and more important. Whether it is to connect Shapingba, Jiangbei, or to Monument to the people's Liberation, the auditorium, it is a must pass.

Undoubtedly, in these decades, in order to cooperate with the development of transportation, the Shangqing Temple Roundabout has also undergone multiple changes in appearance.

Comparison of the Changes in the Rotary Table of Shangqing Temple

But no matter how it changes, it has not changed the importance of geography here.

On March 14, 1997, the Fifth Session of the Eighth National People's Congress voted to approve the establishment of Chongqing Municipality. Chongqing has become the fourth central municipality in China after Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai. On June 18th of the same year, Chongqing Municipality was officially listed.

In the youngest municipality directly under the central government in China, Shangqing Temple has once again become its true "nerve center" - the decrees that spread from here have expanded from the original nine districts and twelve counties to the original Wanxian, Fuling, and Qianjiang areas.

03 The Most Beautiful Street in Chongqing

Chongqing, which has been directly under the central government, is changing almost every day, as if high-rise buildings are rising from the ground as soon as one opens their eyes.

The city is growing, Chongqing is growing, and Shangqing Temple is also growing.

In all rapidly growing cities, it seems that there are always one or two roads, one or two streets and alleys that can make us unconsciously slow down our hurried pace, feel the tranquility of time, and the goodness of tranquility.

Yu Shangqing Temple, in Chongqing, she is Zhongshan Fourth Road.

Blue bricks and black tiles, arched windows and corridors, lush green trees... If you accidentally enter this place from the bustling expressway, you may feel like you have suddenly fallen into a historical gap.

In 2010, Chongqing City combined the comprehensive renovation of main roads, and Zhongshan Fourth Road was designated as a historical district. While preserving the historical appearance of cultural relics, it also combined the characteristics of regional construction to restore a blend of Chinese and Western styles.

The renovated building and the preserved historical buildings appear more harmonious, with the neat, rustic, and atmospheric style of the 1930s and 1940s perfectly embedded in every brick and inch of land.

Couples in love walking slowly at this pace will evoke the subtle and cautious emotional expression and romantic charm between Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung in the movie "In the Mood for Love".

Map of Zhongshan Fourth Road before renovation source: Tian Biqin

In 2010, through a fierce "audition", Zhongshan Fourth Road was selected by netizens as the first "Most Beautiful Street in Chongqing".

When people mention her, they proudly say that she is the mirror of this city. Apart from her unique vicissitudes, what she has engraved in history is also the unyielding backbone of this city.

On the wall of the city gate, one by one, the roots of Huangjue trees, which may have grown there for hundreds of years, stubbornly protrude from the wall, firmly and powerfully occupying the place. Some of their fibrous roots extend from their main roots, gradually expanding outward, showcasing their tenacious vitality and energy.

After the filming of 'Young You' took place here, more and more young people came here to check in, injecting fresh trends into the Central Fourth Road area.

The Wang Qi Art Museum across from the tree root is currently on display. There are no tickets available, and parents with children are marching in line. Some middle-aged artists who have finished the exhibition have also walked out. Although the number of people is not large, it has filled the entire street with vitality.

Wang Qi Art Museum Source: You Lick

When it rains, a girl wearing a cheongsam and holding an umbrella walks on the sidewalk. The black umbrella face and light red cheongsam make the rain fall from the umbrella to the ground, and even the splashing water is warm and moist. Her beautiful figure sways under the umbrella, walking and merging with the roadside trees, green brick buildings, and even the continuous drizzle of the entire street.

The coexistence of vitality and harmony, hidden with intense passion and calm elegance, is the Four Roads of Zhongshan.

Exquisite and beautiful, just like this, arise spontaneously in Shangqing Temple.

04 Love Song Written for Shangqing Temple

After Chongqing became an internet famous city, Shangqing Temple also welcomed more tourists.

The current Shangqing Temple has become the most important place for outsiders to understand Chongqing's history, and also the emotional bond for Chongqing people to read the history of their hometown.

Walking in Shangqing Temple is like walking into a long corridor of Chongqing's modern and contemporary cultural history. As you wander through the area belonging to Shangqing Temple Street, countless historical relics within your reach appear in front of you: Teyuan, Guiyuan, Yiyuan, Zhou Gongguan... Liziba Anti Japanese War Site Park presents those old stories in a series - Gao Gongguan, Li Gengu's old residence

These are the backbone of Chongqing's green tiles and gray bricks, as well as the ups and downs of wind and rain hidden in the bustling depths.

When the light rail passes through the building of Liziba Light Rail Station, tourists on the Liziba Observation Deck exclaim in amazement. Under the observation deck, the rolling Jialing River water intertwines with the layers of hills and ridges between the three levels of roads, as if writing a love song for Shangqing Temple and Chongqing city.

Now, it's a new decade.

I am fortunate that we can look back on history in this magnificent era.

I have walked countless times on Zhongshan Fourth Road, stopping and gazing affectionately.

Today, I am writing these words not only to express the emotions of a Chongqing or Yuzhong person towards Shangqing Temple that cannot be fully expressed, but also as a record and witness - in the process of urban development, everyone is a leading actor and an audience.

Because this is my hometown, it is always the most beautiful.

We wander here, immersed in ups and downs, shedding tears and loving, and those stories of growth will eventually be smoothed out by time and returned to peace.

The only constant is that in the ocean of time, we hope to quietly leave some graphic and textual memories for our city, expressing our infinite love for the city with some personal emotions.

Love for Shangqing Temple.

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