Xiao Wang Temple

Xiao Wang Temple

Xiao Wang Temple is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Zhejiang Province.

Xiao Wang Temple, located at the western end of Xiao Wangmiao Subdistrict in Fenghua City, was designated as part of the fifth batch of provincial-level cultural heritage sites by the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government in March 2005.

Xiao Wang Temple was built to commemorate Xiao Shixian, the magistrate of Fenghua County during the Tianxi era of the Song Dynasty. In the third year of his governance, the region suffered a severe drought. Xiao Shixian toured the fields, instructing the locals on how to build embankments to hold back water and dig canals for irrigation. The following year, the area was plagued by both drought and locusts. Xiao taught the people how to combat the pests and died suddenly from a storm while on inspection. To honor him, the local people built a temple in his memory during the Qingli era, originally called the Xiao Ancestral Hall. The structure has been destroyed and rebuilt over dynasties, with the current halls dating back to the Qing Dynasty.

Xiao Wang Temple faces south and is built on a high slope of the Tongshan Mountain range. Perched on higher ground, its red walls and gray tiles, along with its upturned eaves, can be seen from miles away. The temple complex has three sections, spanning five bays in width and covering a construction area of 1,400 square meters. Along the central axis from south to north are, in order: a screen wall, the front section, a platform pavilion, the main hall, and the rear hall, with side rooms on either side of the pavilion. The front section serves as the main gate and features a double-eave hip-and-gable roof; the middle section is the main hall, which also has a double-eave hip-and-gable roof, combining post-and-lintel with through-tenon construction. The middle bay of the main hall reduces the number of front eave columns, giving it an open and airy feel. The four front eave stone pillars in front of the hall are all carved with vivid dragons—heads raised, tails arched, mouths open, and claws extended—imbued with dynamic energy. The rear section has a single-eave gable-and-hip roof. All three sections feature rolled-canopy front porches. The platform pavilion is square-shaped, topped with a spiral caisson ceiling, entirely constructed using mortise-and-tenon joints without a single nail, and painted in vibrant hues of gold, crimson, and indigo. The mountain gate is adorned with intricate stone carvings, wood carvings, and brick carvings depicting flowers, figures, and theatrical scenes. On the east and west walls are embedded large square characters—“Dragon” and “Tiger,” each two and a half meters wide—rendered with powerful brushstrokes. The main hall, side rooms, and platform pavilion feature many couplets praising the merits of Xiao Shixian.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites