Memorial Hall of Feng Bao and Lady Xian

Memorial Hall of Feng Bao and Lady Xian

Feng Bao and Lady Xian lived over 1400 years ago during the ancient Gao Liang region, from the Liang Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties to the early Sui Dynasty. Feng Bao was a descendant of the Northern Yan, with three generations serving as regional governors. Lady Xian was the hereditary leader of the Yue people in the south, commanding over ten thousand tribal households. She was exceptionally intelligent, capable, brave, strategic, honest, and trustworthy, possessing the talent to govern and bring stability to the nation. During the Datong era of the Liang Dynasty, Feng Bao married Lady Xian to gain the support of local forces. Their marriage broke the precedent of intermarriage between the Han and the local Li people, and became a celebrated story in the development of harmony between the two ethnic groups.

After their marriage, the Feng family and Lady Xian worked together in harmony to manage the affairs of the entire commandery. On one hand, Lady Xian helped Feng Bao spread the feudal ethical concepts of the Han ruling class among the Li people and implement government policies. On the other hand, with Lady Xian’s assistance, he restrained the leaders of the Li tribes and vigorously promoted ethnic unity. The Feng family and Lady Xian governed over the span of three dynasties — Liang, Chen, and Sui — for a total of 110 years. Throughout this period, peace was maintained in the Lingnan region, and the people lived prosperously. They made great contributions to safeguarding national unity and ethnic solidarity, especially in the history of Hainan. In the sixth year of the Datong era of Emperor Wu of Liang (540 AD), Feng Bao and Lady Xian, in their capacity as leaders of the Yue people in the south, “petitioned the court to establish Yazhou,” restoring the commandery-county system. The newly established Yazhou governed ten counties, thereby ending 580 years of chaos and disunity in Hainan where people could not gather to survive even for a single day. Over the more than 200 years that Lady Xian and the Feng family administered Hainan, they quelled rebellions, promoted ethnic unity, relocated settlers to develop Hainan, introduced advanced agricultural techniques and culture, and boosted the social and economic development of the region. Lady Xian became a national hero and spiritual leader revered by the people of Hainan, and was honored by the folk as the “Holy Mother of the South.”

To commemorate the great achievements of Feng Bao and Lady Xian, to ensure their descendants forever remember the virtues and merits of their ancestors, to uphold ancestral worship and eternal reverence, and also to provide a unified provincial worship site for followers of Lady Xian; at the same time, to meet the needs of Hainan’s cultural development, and to establish a platform that promotes the fine traditions of the Chinese nation, conducts patriotic education, and facilitates research on the culture of Feng Bao and Lady Xian, members of the Hainan Feng Clan, along with Feng Clan members from Thailand, Singapore, and other Southeast Asian regions, autonomously formed a preparatory group for the construction of the Feng Bao and Lady Xian Memorial Hall and the Feng Clan Ancestral Hall. This group was led by Feng Xuejun as head, with members including Feng Yucheng, Feng Wenhai, Feng Xueci, Feng Suoyun, Feng Zigen, Feng Mei, and Wu Shujian (representing Thai Feng Yude). They were specifically responsible for land acquisition, fundraising, design, and application for construction permits. In February 2012, the first council of the Hainan Feng Clan Association was elected, with Feng Chuanjian as president, officially launching the construction of the memorial hall and ancestral hall. After more than two years of construction, the project was fully completed. The construction quality met design requirements, and the exhibits fully reflect the history of the Feng Clan, particularly highlighting the contributions of the Feng people in advancing Hainan’s social and historical development, serving as an inspiration for future generations.

The memorial hall covers an area of 20 acres, featuring an architectural style modeled after Song Dynasty-style three-courtyard temple buildings, with a construction area of 4,000 square meters. It was constructed by the First Branch of Hainan Qiongshan Construction Company, with the person in charge being Feng Ke. The project owner's representative was Wu Jianjun; the engineering supervision manager was Feng Zigen; management personnel included Wu Shujian, Feng Mei, Feng Sun, Wu Jingying, and Feng Jinyu.

The Tianwu Hall (Shiping Hall) of the memorial hall primarily enshrines the statues of the founding ancestors of Hainan, including Feng Bao and Lady Xian — the earliest ancestors who migrated to Hainan — as well as the ancestral deities of the servants Pu Gong and Ang Gong, along with 22 ancestral spirit plaques. The Ciyu Hall mainly displays the historical contributions of the Feng Clan and Lady Xian to Hainan’s economic and social development through photos, text, and documents. The Chengjing Hall primarily uses text and charts to present the origins of the Feng Clan, major events in its history within China, and briefly showcases the development history and cultural stories of the Feng surname, which ranks ninth in the Hundred Family Surnames. The east and west corridors mainly introduce 27 notable historical figures of the Feng Clan in Chinese history. (Hainan Feng Bao Cultural Research Association, October 1, 2014)

Address:

No. 47, Fengcun, Xinda Zhou Avenue

Lady Xian (522–602), of the Li ethnic group from southern Guangdong (now ShanDou Village, Diancheng Town, DianBai District, Maoming City, Guangdong Province), was the tribal leader of the Lingnan region during the Liang, Chen, and Sui Dynasties, historically known as the Lady of Qiao State.

Lady Xian was a leader jointly supported by various minority tribes in the region. She dedicated her life to ethnic unity, fostering integration and cooperation among peoples, and promoting social progress and economic prosperity. She was an outstanding stateswoman and military strategist, and a beloved leader of the people of Guangnan at the time.

In Huating Village at the southern foot of Dongshan in Yangjiang City lies the tomb of Feng Ang, the grandson of Lady Xian, with the tombstone... More detailed information about Lady Xian++

Feng Bao, courtesy name Junzhen, art name Yuanshan (also said to be courtesy name Zhushi, art name Tingchen), was a descendant of the imperial family of the Northern Yan, hailing from Liangde County of Gao Liang Commandery (now Gaozhou City, Guangdong Province). He was born around the sixth year of the Tianjian era of the Liang Dynasty (507 AD). From his great-grandfather Feng Ye, who returned to the Song Dynasty by sea, to his grandfather and father, three generations served as imperial officials. His father, Feng Rong, was the Prefect of Luozhou during the Liang Dynasty. Influenced by Confucian thought and the ethics of Confucius and Mencius from a young age, Feng Bao developed the virtues of a benevolent gentleman. Diligent in his studies since childhood, he was sent to the imperial university in the capital Jiankang in his youth, where he associated with many people. Around the age of twenty, he passed the imperial examinations and earned an official position in the Liang court... More detailed information about Feng Bao++