The Nanhai God Temple, commonly known as ‘Polo Temple’, is one of the better-preserved ancient sea temples among the four major ancient sea temples in China. It is also an important ancient historical site for foreign trade in ancient China, with a history of more than 1,400 years. In ancient times, ships going to sea or ships coming from afar had to pass through this ancient dock located at the Nanhai God Temple.
Many merchant ships would stop here and go to the temple to offer sacrifices, praying for a smooth voyage. Therefore, this place has also become a historical witness to the prosperity of Guangzhou’s maritime trade and has left a large number of precious historical relics. Hidden inside the stone archway with the inscription ‘The sea is calm without waves’, the Nanhai God Temple has a complete structure and magnificent momentum. There are many buildings such as the front gate, the ceremonial gate, the ritual pavilion, the main hall, and the rear hall. The double corridors on both sides of the ceremonial gate and the east and west corridors in front of the main hall were all rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. There are extremely many stone carvings since the Sui and Tang Dynasties in the temple. Since emperors of all dynasties had sent officials to hold sacrificial ceremonies in the temple, many precious inscriptions have been left behind. Therefore, the temple is also known as the ‘Southern Forest of Steles’. It is worth mentioning that there is also a Sunrise Bathing Pavilion in the temple. Since ancient times, it has been a good place to watch the sunrise at sea. One of the eight scenic spots of Yangcheng in the Song Dynasty, ‘Sunrise Bathing at Fuxu’ refers to this place. Every year from February 11th to 13th in the lunar calendar, the birthday of the Nanhai God is held here, also known as the Polo Festival. It has a history of more than 1,400 years. There is a folk saying that ‘Visiting Polo and getting a wife’. It is very lively and there are many cultural performances to watch. Opening hours: Open from Tuesday to Sunday all year round from 09:00 to 17:00; Closed all day on Monday all year round (except for legal holidays and special circumstances). Service facilities: Parking lot: [Nanhai God Temple Parking Lot]. Reference price: Charged. Address: At the entrance of the Nanhai God Temple. Number of parking spaces: Subject to the actual situation of the scenic spot.
