Xi'an's City God Temple sits on West Street, inside the wall, in what was for centuries the main commercial axis of the city. A City God temple was a civic institution rather than a purely religious one: the city god was the divine magistrate of a town, responsible for its protection and for the moral order of the community, and the temple was maintained by officials as part of the machinery of local government. Xi'an's was founded in the Ming dynasty and has been restored several times; it is one of the largest of its kind in the country and it is still in use.
The temple
The layout is a tall, narrow courtyard complex built right up against the street: a decorated gateway and screen, a first hall, and an inner courtyard leading to the main hall where the city god is enthroned with attendants and judges of the underworld arranged around him. The carving and painting on the beams and brackets is elaborate and recently conserved, and the courtyards are full of worshippers and the smell of incense. It is an active temple, so it is busier at festival times - particularly around the city god's birthday, which is celebrated with a temple fair - than on ordinary days. The forecourt outside is a small market and gathering place.
West Street and the quarter
West Street runs from the Bell Tower westwards to the city wall gate, and it has been a shopping street since the Tang. Today it mixes old commercial buildings, temple architecture and modern retail; the side lanes running off it towards the north lead into the old residential grid, and the lanes towards the south lead towards the city's Muslim quarter, the Great Mosque and its food streets. Walking the whole of West Street and its side lanes is a good two hours, and it is one of the few parts of Xi'an where the modern city and the Ming city are still on top of each other.
Practical notes
The temple charges a small admission and is open daily during daylight hours; it is a place of worship, so behave accordingly and avoid photographing worshippers without asking. West Street is served by several bus routes and is a ten-minute walk from the Bell Tower and from the Drum Tower. It combines naturally with the wall walk, whose western gate is at the end of the street, and with the food streets of the Muslim quarter, which begin a few blocks to the south.
