Visitors enjoy traditional Changsha snacks at Fire God Palace
2023-09-07
Fire God Palace is located at Pozi Street, Tianxin District. Built in the Wanli reign period of the Ming Dynasty, it is also known as Qianyuan Palace. It is actually a Fire God Temple.
In 1938, it was destroyed in a fire and rebuilt in 1941. The archway was originally the gate of Qianyuan Palace, which was built during Emperor Qianlong’s reign of the Qing Dynasty and rebuilt during Emperor Daoguang’s reign.
The main hall is a Fire God Temple, with a clay statue of the Fire God more than three meters high. There is a Amitabha Pavilion on the left, a Lhamo Bhutri Pavilion on the right, and a stage in the front.
Ancient Chu people thought they were descendants of Emperor Yan and Zhu Rong (Fire God), so the Chu people worshiped sun and fire. Fire, which once separated man from apes, has made immortal contributions to human evolution and civilization. Therefore, worshiping the Fire God has become a custom handed down for generations in Changsha. In the old days, the Changsha people both respected and feared the Fire God. No matter whose house was on fire, they would come to the Fire God Palace to “worship the Fire God”.
The reconstruction of the Fire God Palace and the revival of the temple fair have promoted the development of tourism. With the theme of “fire culture”, “Eight Major Snacks” like stinky tofu and “Twelve Major Dishes” including Mao braised pork have been developed, which make the Fire God Palace prosperous again.
