Temple of Madam Xian
The Temple of Madam Xian () is a temple commemorating Lady Xian, located at Wenming Street, near the Eastern Gate of Gaozhou, Guangdong province, China. Madam Xian is revered as a symbol of unity and safety. Lady Xian Lady Xian was a prominent 6th-century military leader of the Baiyue people in the Lingnan region. She successively served three Chinese dynasties, namely the Liang, Chen, and Sui. She was granted the title Lady Kangjun by the Liang, Lady Shilong by the Chen, and Lady Qiaoguo by the Sui dynasty. Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai called her "The First Heroine of China" (中国巾帼第一人). Local residents called her the "Saintly Mother of Lingnan" (岭南圣母). Approximately 300 temples of Lady Xian are found in Maoming. The one at Wenming Street is one of the largest. History and development At the beginning of the Ming dynasty, the temple moved to its present location when the old Gaozhou County moved to the south where the current Gaozhou County is located. During the Ming dynasty, in 1535, the temple was rebuilt at Wenming Street at the Eastern Gate of Gaozhou County. During the Qing dynasty, the temple was restored several times. After the Chinese Civil War ended, the temple was converted for use as a kindergarten. This damaged the original temple. During the 1980s, donors from various fields gave money for renovation. In December 1990, the Cultural Relic's Management Committee of Guangdong Province sanctioned another renovation. The renovation started in August 1992, and was completed in December 1994. In 2002, after Chinese Communist Party general secretary Jiang Zemin visited, he declared that the scale was not large enough and needed to be developed as the base of patriotism education. In response, the Gaozhou government expanded it and converted it for use in patriotism education. In 2007, the People's Government of Guangdong Province awarded it the provincial unit of cultural relic protection. In 2014, the Temple of Madam Xian was rated as a base of China's culture. Layout Its length is about 62.2 meters. The width is 13.2 meters, covering 826.3 square meters. Four pavilions extend from the longitudinal axis: a front hall, nave, main hall and back hall. In the front hall, hung on the right and left walls, are paintings attributed to painters such as Yang Qiuxi. Peddlers sell incense, candles and souvenirs to pilgrims. Between the front hall and the nave is a large patio with a stone boat, around which moss grows. The nave hosts a horizontal board stating “Temple of Madam Xian”, scribed by Zhao Puchu. Hanging above in the middle of the nave is a large screen entitled "Birds paying homage to the phoenix". On the left and right walls are twelve pieces of vivid fresco. One of the frescoes depicts a picture of a shepherd boy playing with cattle. Below the frescoes are 10 pieces of stone inscriptions recording the feats of Madam Xian. In the main hall are three statues of Madam Xian of different sizes. The biggest statue wears a