English traders who visit China will often discover that their local associates – whether the small-time vendor or industrial magnate – will almost always frequent Taoist temples. The Chinese believe in two gods who watch over the world of commerce. The first is the Chenghuang- The City God Temple, or the God of the Town, who maintains peace and protects the lives of the inhabitants of each city. The second is the Caishen, or the God of Wealth, who brings fortune and prosperity to individuals and institutions.
There is a famous Chenghuang temple in Shanghai, which also serves as a place of worship for both the God of Wealth and the God of the Town. Visited daily by more than a thousand devotees, it is not a large site and thus constantly suffused with the fragrance of incense.
On the fourth day of the Chinese New Year, it is said that the God Of Wealth celebrates his birthday. All small and large businesses will inevitably "purchase" (although this word itself is never used, in lieu of the more discreet "invite") a new statuette, blessed by a Taioist priest. The statuette – or idol – will be perched on an altar in the family home or at a business venue, and offered incense every day.
The recent economic boom in China has apparently occurred in parallel with the constant worshipping of the God of Wealth through the placing of idols on altars. Through word of mouth, Shanghai's Chenghuang Temple has acquired fame as a prime venue where idols of the God of Wealth can be "invited" back into family homes and offices. In recent years, a deluge of Chinese Taoist devotees have rushed to this popular temple – by train and by plane even – to acquire one of its sacred idols in time for the fourth day of the New Year.
All businessmen living in Shanghai – local and foreign – will know that over the 15 days of the Chinese New Year, firework celebrations peak on the evening of fourth. These celebrations are even more majestic than the traditional highlight of fireworks on New Year's Eve. Such a phenomenon marks the importance of the God of Wealth in the eyes of the people of Shanghai, as well as their seriousness in pursuing good fortune.
The surroundings of many important temples in China are often found to be commercial buildings and plazas. This is true of Shanghai’s Chenghuang Temple, which is engulfed by the Chenghuang Temple Shopping Mall, so named on behalf of the well-known Taoist site and one of China's premier shopping areas. Another famous Taoist temple in Shanghai, Hongmiao, is also situated on the busy Nanjing East Road, where retail institutions in all their Chinese wonder and variety flourish in abundance. Similarly in Suzhou, there is another important Taoist temple known as the Xianmiaoguan. The busy street in front of this temple is called the Guanqianjie ('Street in Front of the Temple'), and lined up with row after row of shops, frequented by thousands of customers from all over China and the world every day.
The situation of Taoist temples in shopping or commercial areas is rooted in economic history and folklore. In the larger agricultural context of China, farmers used to spend their leisure hours visiting temples to make offerings to the gods, while moving on to buy convenience goods in stores, or watch opera and folk theatre. Over time, many small businesses began to be set up in the surrounds of Taoist temples. Bustling with life generated through the spillage of religious worshippers, these businesses and activities are now collectively known as the miaohui, or Temple Meeting / Festival, and closely resemble the village fairs of the West.
Naturally, anointed Taoist practitioners and ordained priests of Taoist temples are expected to refrain from all commercial dealings. However, the actual precepts of Taoism do not bear down unfavourably upon businessmen and traders. In the official scriptures found in Taoist writings, there are also no words which situate merchants in negative light. The way of the Tao emphasises "The Natural Path", and by extension encourages the inevitable growth and evolution of society at large. Age-old philosophies of the religion are, in turn, also subject to adaptation and presentation in the commercially-minded realms of modern Chinese life. Various aspects of fundamental Taoist ideas – from the notion of Taoism and Health, to Fengshui studies and the doctrine of Harmony between Man and Nature – will thus continue to be refined through the development of future research and social change.