寧波城隍廟簡史

周東旭

寧波是一個港口城市，自唐宋以來，日本、朝鮮等國家的人，或多或少在這個城市留下遺跡或記述。

寧波府城隍廟，又稱寧波郡廟，始建于明代，是我國目前保存完整、現存規模最大的城隍廟之一，是寧波歷史文化地標性建筑，在寧波地區可謂家喻戶曉。千年的歷史長河里，郡廟是寧波古城文商并榮的象征。

寧波城隍廟充滿了豐富多彩的市井民俗風情，是寧波一代人的記憶。歲月流逝，老廟亦在歲月中變得滄桑深沉。從2018年10起，城隍廟開始進行修繕，目前工程已完工，可謂涅槃重生。

廟中之廟，歷史悠久

明太祖對大學士宋濂說：“朕立城隍神，使人知畏，人有所畏，則不敢妄為”。大概是因為皇帝的推崇、皇權的力量，所以城隍信俗起源雖然歷史悠久，但在明代開始就遍地開花。就寧波而言，府有府城隍廟，縣有縣城隍廟，更有特色的是寧波是沿海城市，所以明代的時候，寧波東南沿海設了許多衛所，由南至北依次為：昌國衛、石浦前后二所、爵溪所、錢倉所;定海衛（即鎮海）、大嵩所、郭巨所、穿山后所，觀海衛、龍山所;臨山衛、三山所。凡有城處，均須設城隍廟，所以這些衛所里均設有城隍廟。經歷歲月的洗禮，這些地方還保存了不少文物級別的城隍廟，如石浦城隍廟就因為建筑宏偉、體量完整而得到保護。

在寧波三江口立城之前，寧波區域還有“鄞、鄮（mào）、句章”古城，白杜古鄞城就有城隍廟，鄮城在東鄉同岙，按老地圖上的標記也有城隍廟，所以這樣一來，整個寧波區域大大小小就有20多個城隍廟。雖然年代久遠，風流總被雨打風吹去，有些古廟建筑蕩然無存，有些易地重建，有些保留了一些斷壁頹垣，供人憑吊，有些則修復后氣勢雄偉，列入文物保護，供人瞻仰游覽。

寧波境內現存的城隍廟建筑，以寧波府城隍廟建筑最為宏大有特色。寧波城是寧波的府城，也是舊時鄞縣縣城，所以城中有兩個城隍廟，而且距離也不遠，一個在大梁街，一個在縣學街，相差不過兩百米。但據老百姓的回憶，縣城隍廟無法和郡廟相比，現在縣廟已蕩然無存，據說先前辦過小學，后來拆除后造了一座大樓，現今大樓的后墻上嵌著八塊石碑，大都是“勒石永禁”類的官府告示碑，沒有人去理會這些古碑上的故事，爬山虎綠蔥蔥的蓋過古碑，掩蓋了過去的輝煌。

民間藝術，異彩紛呈

舊時代的城隍廟，用現代的話說，是一個大型文化綜合體。以城隍信俗為基礎，結合文化、經濟、商業，是市井文化的載體。古建筑有文物價值，雕刻精美有欣賞價值，神像是民間藝人留下的雕塑藝術，擺設、裝飾無不融合了現今的許多非物質文化遺產項目技藝。寧波的許多廟宇建筑大半金碧輝煌，大都是因為寧波四大藝術之首的“朱金木雕”——雕刻好的花版構件，底色是赤朱色的，部分圖案貼上金箔，閃閃發光，歷久彌新。從這個角度說，城隍廟可謂是寧波傳統工藝的展示館。

城隍廟有戲臺，演出過京?。ɑ瞻啵?、紹?。ńB興大班）、越?。ǖ暮V班）、甬?。▽幉┗桑?，它是一個開放式的劇場，老百姓名為酬神，實為娛樂，“銅鑼響，腳底癢”，不光周邊的居民聽到鑼鼓聲響會來湊熱鬧看戲，十里八鄉的村民也會聞風而來。臺上的一招一式、一唱一和，像磁石一樣吸住了臺下的觀眾。聽到丑角的插科打諢，臺下不覺發笑;看到奸臣害忠良時，臺下又是咬牙切齒的喝罵;悲旦大段地演唱時，不少老嫗暗暗抹去眼角的淚水?？磻蛉艘嘣趹蛑?。

除了戲曲外，還有戲曲的同胞兄弟曲藝的演出。寧波的三大曲藝“南詞、走書、評話”，尤以走書和評話最吸引人。南詞被稱為“文書”，比較文雅，適合廳堂演出，大戶人家，安安靜靜，聽個開篇或全部《玉蜻蜓》《珍珠塔》，故事也是才子佳人，風流韻事。走書，則有“武書”之稱，寧波人形容，一個人繪聲繪色說話連帶肢體動作，就說像在“講武書”。走書與評話的區別在于走書是帶把大胡琴的，演出時需要演唱，評話則不用。寧波評話最著名的藝人張少策，現今年近九旬，還能登臺演出。他說的《武松打虎》是非常有名的一個段子，也是一代寧波人的記憶。

提起寧波城隍廟，許多人的印象都會和小吃城掛上鉤，什么炸鵪鶉、牛肉細粉、湯團、餛飩、炒年糕等等。城隍廟舊時有許多小吃，以廟興市，熱鬧非凡。后來在20世紀80年代，郡廟維修后，就專設了城隍廟美食城，兩廂設了許多日用百貨店，所以當代人對寧波城隍廟的記憶都是小吃購物，但后來就漸漸覺得，百年老廟房梁上水氣氤氳，石板地上漫著厚厚的油污，對老廟不安全，也不見得衛生。許多文保人士痛心于這個文物建筑被小吃城占據。經過專家的論證，最后把美食城移出來，設立在周邊的現代建筑中。

還原城隍廟本來的樣子。這也是這次維修的初衷吧。

海絲文化，港城留痕

寧波是一個港口城市，自唐宋以來，日本、朝鮮等國家的人，或多或少都在這座城市留下遺跡或記錄。寧波的東門口一帶，原先還有一個叫波斯巷的巷子，居住的就是阿拉伯人。在宋代，大街上也能碰見金眼碧發的外國人，這在寧波一點也不稀奇怪，至于日本人則更多。

日本高僧策彥周良，1539年（明嘉靖十八年）為遣明副使入明，1547年為遣明正使再度入明，受明世宗召見，并賜唱和詩。在明時，與文人廣泛交往，著有《初渡集》《再渡集》。

在《初渡集》中，他涉及城隍廟的記載有三處，分別是寧波府、淮安府清河縣和北京的城隍廟。嘉靖十八年（1539年）6月25日，策彥參觀了寧波的城隍廟：

“謁城隍廟。廟里塑北斗星君之像，像前有牌，書“寧波府城隍之神”七字。各獻香資者一緡?！?/p>

據方志記載，寧波城隍神供奉漢初大將紀信，而策彥周良的記錄里為北斗星君，可見當時的廟中也供奉了北斗星君，那城隍神則有神主牌代替，大概在一段時間流行過以神主牌代替神像。

岡千仞（18331914年），字振衣，號鹿門，原仙臺藩士，他精通漢學與西學，日本明治維新后，曾任修史館編修官，東京府書籍館干事等職，后因對藩閥專制不滿而辭官辦塾，名綏猷堂，前后有“弟子三千”。

1884年，岡千仞來華游歷一年，行程萬里，會見官員文士二百人，包括李鴻章、張之洞、盛宣懷、李慈銘、俞樾、袁昶、沈曾植、龔易圖等，極力主張中國變法圖強。他來時帶有自己著作，當時的《申報》報道：“日東文豪某，攜著書千卷，為中土山水之游?！睂ж鹨舱f，“故此游捆載各種諸書，將就正大方君子也”。后遇在漢口開日文書店的三河靜修，勸他游長江一線，岡千仞有意訪游，立刻“因付著書數部，令為名士先容”。一路上獲贈書143種，自購128種，共達1829卷。他以日記體把在華旅程寫成《觀光紀游》：

“1884年七月廿九日（六月八日）

平明，逾一壩出甬江。峨舸大艑，水面為陸，一望知其為大埠。與靜庵觀市街，抵城隍廟。神像端冕，左右四像，其一戎裝手劍，其一衣冠手冊，威棱如生。廟前設演劇臺，兩廡回樓，為待觀客之處，壁錄鑒戒之語。男女群詣，肩與肩摩，比我淺草大悲堂更為鬧熱。唯丐徒賤隸踞地賭博，大覺殺風景。

轉觀天峰塔，積磚瓦筑成，矗立七層，每層兩梯。攀至第六層，下臨惴惴，不覺目眩。東南見群島蜿蜒海上，為補[普]陀洛山。聞島有巨剎，本邦僧所開。更轉入城壁，此為鄞縣。觀城隍廟，雕鏤精致，比前更煥?！?/p>

岡千仞參觀了寧波城中的府縣兩個城隍廟及天封塔。岡千仞覺得寧波府城隍廟比東京的淺草寺更為熱鬧，只是當時許多閑雜人等聚眾賭博，讓他感到很煞風景。然后，他又參觀攀登了寧波當時城中的最高建筑天封塔，隨后又去看了縣城隍廟，覺得縣城隍廟比府城隍廟的雕刻更精美。這或許只是他的豹窺一斑，從現存的記憶和文獻中，鄞縣城隍廟的規模和雕刻遠不如府城隍廟。不過從《申報》中的記錄來看，光緒九年（1883年），府城隍廟遭遇火災，部分建筑燒毀，直到1887年，才修完城隍廟?；蛟S岡千仞看到的只是維修中的城隍廟吧。

日本著名漢學家青木正兒在他的《中國近世戲曲史》中曾經提起寧波府城隍廟的戲臺，稱這是他見過的“地基最高的戲臺”。地基建得高是為了讓更多觀眾更好地欣賞演出，可見當時寧波府城隍廟的規模之大、人氣之旺。青木正兒見到的城隍廟戲臺，應該正是1887年維修后的古戲臺。

The Temple of Town God of Ningbo， first constructed in the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644）， is one of the best preserved and largest city god temples in China. A historic landmark and pride of place in the harbor city in eastern Zhejiang， the temple has witnessed the citys cultural and material prosperity. Now under a refurbishment project since October 2018， the temple is expected to reopen soon if and when the Covid-19 pandemic is under tight control.

Though the faith in the town god can go back to a long time ago， town god temples mushroomed in the Ming Dynasty after Zhu Yuanzhang， the founding emperor of the dynasty， decided to enhance the status of the town god in the country in a bid to maintain law and order in the newly founded dynasty. Inside the city of Ningbo， there were town god temples at the prefecture and county levels. Moreover， all the coast guard garrison towns along the coastline of Ningbo had their own town-god temples. Some of these temples have remained. An ancient map of Ningbo indicates that there were as many as 20 plus town god temples across Ningbo at the time the map was made. A prefecture， Ningbo had its own town god temple， which remains today. However， as the prefecture government was located in Yinxian County， the countys town-god temple stood only about 200 meters away from the prefectures counterpart. The countys town-god temple disappeared not a long time ago， replaced by a stately building. The only mementos that indicate the glory of the lost temple are eight stone steles now embedded in the back wall of the building. The steles are from the disappeared town god temple of Yinxian County.

For a long time， the town-god temple of Ningbo served as a huge entertainment and shopping center of the city. Architecturally， the structure is a showcase of woodcarving in red and gold， a well-known craft of Ningbo. The temple features a great number of such woodcarvings covered with gold foils on the reddish background. There is a theater stage inside the temple. Open to the public， the theater is a venue for performances in honor of the town god. Plays of various regional opera genres are performed there. Story-telling is also a popular public entertainment at the temple. The temple theater boasts three kinds of story-telling styles. One is relatively quiet， especially appropriate for romances. Another story-telling format is appropriate for stories about heroes who vanquish evils and bad guys and help the disadvantaged people. The temple was a center of folk entertainment and this part of the entertainment is expected to continue.

For some people， the town god temple of Ningbo was a paradise for gourmets. All kinds of local delicacies were available to pilgrims， tourists， and other visitors. Foodies were pleased especially with temple fairs when there were all kinds of food provided. In the 1980s， the temple went under a reconstruction and a large food court was set up on the compound and a row of shops flanked the either side of the food court. In the memory of many people of today， the town-god temple was where you went shopping and enjoyed local delicacies. But experts and scholars disliked the food court and shops inside the temple. So in the refurbishment project started in October 2018， all the food stalls and shops were relocated to buildings around the temple. There will be no food court and shops inside the temple after the reopening. The idea behind the new arrangement is： let the temple remain what it was before the modern times.

Ningbo in ancient times was an important port city for international trade. It was especially important for the commercial and cultural ties between China and Japan. Sakugen Shūryō （1501–1579）， a Japanese monk who visited China twice as a diplomatic emissary， came to Ningbo in his first journey to China on June 25， 1539. The monk visited the town-god temple in Ningbo and paid homage to the town god. He mentioned three town-god temples respectively in Ningbo， Huaian and Beijing in his travelogue on his first visit to China. Apparently， he crossed the sea and landed at Ningbo and traveled northward on the Grand Canal.

Oka Senjin （1833-1914）， a prominent Japanese sinologist， spent a year in 1884 traveling through China and met with over 200 Chinese government officials， business tycoons and scholars including Li Hongzhang， Zhang Zhidong and Sheng Xuanhuai. He kept a diary on his adventure in China. One entry dated July 29， 1884 is about his visit to the town-god temple of Ningbo. Oka Senjin visited two town-god temples in Ningbo and ascended the Tianfeng Pagoda， the tallest structure in Ningbo of that time. The Japanese visitor was deeply impressed by the grandiose of Ningbos town-god temple and by the hustle and bustle of the theater， but felt sorry that the sight of some gamblers there was a killjoy.

Aoki Masaru （1887-1964） mentioned the theater stage on the compound of the town-god temple of Ningbo in ， a book he authored. He said the theater stage was perched on the tallest foundation he had ever seen.