Wuzhou Dragon Mother Temple

Wuzhou Dragon Mother Temple

The Wuzhou Dragon Mother Temple was first built in the early Northern Song Dynasty and is a thousand-year-old architectural complex. It was constructed to commemorate the "Dragon Mother," a female leader of the Baiyue ethnic group in southern China during the Warring States period. Covering an area of over 110,000 square meters, the temple complex includes a memorial archway, front hall, Dragon Mother Palace, Dragon Mother Sleeping Quarters, bell tower, drum tower, pagoda, and the tallest Dragon Mother statue in China at 38 meters. It is a sacred site for prayer in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau, and even Southeast Asia, and is renowned as the foremost Dragon Mother Temple in China.

The Dragon Mother Temple is located on Guilin Road in Wuzhou and features a main hall, rear hall, Five Dragons Spouting Water Wall, and the Inscribed Stone Tablet of the General's Office. The main hall consists of three contiguous rooms: the central Dragon Mother Hall, the left Crown Prince Hall, and the right General Fu Hall. Historical records indicate that the Dragon Mother was the leader of the ancient "Cangwu" tribe in southern China, born on the eighth day of the fifth lunar month—known as the "Dragon Mother Birthday"—and passed away on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, celebrated as the "Ascension Day." Because the Dragon Mother dedicated herself to leading the people in mountain development and water management for the benefit of the community, she earned deep respect and affection. As a result, the "Dragon Mother Birthday" and "Ascension Day" have become traditional commemorative occasions at the temple. During these times, many devout worshippers specifically travel from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau region to offer incense and pay their respects.

The Dragon Mother Temple is situated against a mountain and faces water, covering an area of more than 5,000 square meters. It consists of a memorial archway, front hall, middle hall, rear palace, temporary palace, turtle pond, and market area. The main hall is majestic and solemn, with intricately carved beams and painted rafters. The central shrine enshrines the statue of the Dragon Mother, where worshippers come to pray for her blessings and protection, resulting in incense burning year-round in the front courtyard. The right-side hall enshrines General Fu, while the left-side hall enshrines the Dragon Prince. Behind the main hall, the middle section displays a large relief sculpture depicting the Dragon Mother’s journey to the capital. The rear palace exhibits the Dragon Mother’s bed and the Dragon Prince’s bed, with the Dragon Mother’s temporary palace located on the right side of the main hall serving as a reception room.

The second floor houses a statue of the God of Guan Yu, and to the left is a pool of clear water containing a stone turtle symbolizing eternal longevity. On the turtle’s back rests a large stone carving of the "Inscribed Stone Tablet of the General's Office." Visitors often toss coins at the turtle stone for good luck. Behind the turtle pond, the mountain wall features a large relief sculpture known as the "Five Dragons Spouting Water Wall."

The eighth day of the fifth lunar month and the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month are traditionally regarded as the Dragon Mother’s birthday and ascension day, respectively—making these the most lively times at the Dragon Mother Temple. During these periods, tour groups from Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau, and overseas Chinese communities come to celebrate, with some groups numbering up to a thousand. The temple is then adorned with lanterns and decorations, exuding a festive atmosphere. Both inside and outside the temple, crowds gather, creating a vibrant scene. The temple remains open all night on these days, with numerous worshippers and visitors eagerly coming to pray, offer incense, touch the Dragon Bed, look into the Dragon Mother Mirror, use the Dragon Mother Comb, bathe in Dragon Mother Water, drink Dragon Mother Tea, and toss coins into the Longevity Turtle Pond. The temple is bustling with activity, attracting many foreigners as well.

The Dragon Mother is the river goddess of the Xijiang River. Legend has it that the Dragon Mother was a deity from the time of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, surnamed Wen, originally from Xiaotongfang on Shuidong Street in Teng County’s First District. She earned the title of Dragon Mother for raising five young dragons and later passed away in Yuecheng, Guangdong. Throughout the Xijiang River basin, the Dragon Mother performed many benevolent deeds for the people, such as leading them in farming, weaving, fishing, and animal husbandry, controlling floods, ensuring safe waterway passage, punishing evil and promoting good, healing the sick, practicing charity, and providing widespread relief to humanity.

After the Dragon Mother’s passing, people began to worship her as a deity, and successive emperors conferred titles upon her: Emperor Qin Shi Huang honored her with the inscription “Qin Dragon Mother Forever Fragrant”; Emperor Gaozu of Han honored her with “Madam Wen of Chengxi Forever Recorded in History”; Emperor Wu of Han honored her with “The Rebirth of the Goddess Nüwa, the Dragon Mother of Qin”; Emperor Taizong of Tang bestowed upon Madam Wen the title “Madam Yong’an”; Emperor Taizu of Song honored her as “Madam Yongji”; Emperor Taizu of Ming titled her “Madam Yongning”; and Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty conferred upon the Yuecheng Dragon Mother the title “Water Deity Goddess.” People customarily visit the Dragon Mother Temple to pray for matters both big and small. Among Dragon Mother devotees, the Dragon Mother Temples in Yuecheng, Guangdong’s Deqing, Wuzhou, and Teng County are the most renowned. Before liberation, ships and ferries navigating the Xijiang River would sound their horns or beat gongs day and night when passing within three li of the Dragon Mother Temple during her birthday celebrations. Upon reaching the river surface in front of the temple, boats would stop, and passengers would go ashore to enter the temple, offer incense, and pay their respects.

Dragon Mother culture has become one of Wuzhou’s most important tourism resources. Each year, Wuzhou hosts a series of Dragon Mother cultural tourism events at the temple, including the Dragon Mother’s Golden Treasury Opening on the 21st day of the first lunar month, the Dragon Mother’s Birthday on the eighth day of the fifth lunar month, the Dragon Mother’s Enlightenment Birthday on the first day of the eighth lunar month, and the Mother Veneration Festival on the first day of the eleventh lunar month. These events attract thousands of tourists from Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau, and other regions. During each Dragon Mother festival, the Shengshengtang of Panyu, Guangzhou, organizes over 4,000 worshippers to participate in the activities in Wuzhou.