Shrine to remember a national hero Chen Huacheng

In memory of the brave sacrifice of the Admiral Chen Huacheng (1776-1842) who courageously fought against the invading British army in Shanghai, the then Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) government ordered the construction of a shrine at his place of death and his hometown after the Opium War (1840-42).

The people of Shanghai also revered Chen as the city's guardian deity, and the shrines to commemorate him were established in the then Baoshan, Huating and Songjiang counties.

It was recorded in a Qing Dynasty book "Yiyuan Shengdu" that the shrines were vastly built within the city of Shanghai. During Chen's birthday in April, people came from all around to commemorate the hero. The deity was said to be heard walking in and out of the shrine at night, Shanghai people thus performed rituals at night.

Chen died for his country in Shanghai, and his spirit has remained strong for centuries.

The original site of the Chen's Shrine in Songjiang District was in the Xiujia Garden of Wang Xuling, a grand councilor during the reign of Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722). During the reign of Emperor Daoguang (1782-1850), this garden was purchased by Zhu Wenxuan and other villagers, who built the Chen's Shrine.

The construction consists of two courtyards, each with three rooms facing south and a flat roof in the shape of a "人" (people) character. The roof is covered in small green tiles with white plaster walls and a roof ridge in the shape of the Chinese character "一" (one).

The main living room in the front features a floor-to-ceiling window with wooden lattices on both sides, and inside the room are displayed the cannons used to attack the British ships. In the rear living room, there is an altar dedicated to Chen, along with soldiers Xu Lin, Xu Dagui, Qian Jinyu and Xu Pangui, who all sacrificed their lives in battle against the British army.

In 1862, the shrine was destroyed by war and rebuilt in 1898. In the early years of the Republic of China (1912-1949), it was renovated again. In 1912, Dr Sun Yat-sen visited Songjiang and stayed at the shrine. After the liberation, the place was used as the office of the Songjiang District Industrial Bureau's Vocational School. In July 1985, the shrine was declared a cultural heritage site in Songjiang. In 1999, during the renovation of the old town, the shrine was moved to Fangta Park.

The new Chen's Shrine has a floor area of over 200 square meters and maintains the style of the traditional architecture, with white walls, blue tiles, brick floors, and red columns and beams.

The front hall has two rooms on both the east and west sides, and the back hall is spacious and bright. There is a stone-laid courtyard between the two halls.

The shrine is not only an important site to commemorate the national hero Chen, but also an attraction in Fangta Park.