Temple of the Martyrs

Temple of the Martyrs

The Temple of the Martyrs is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Guangdong Province.

The Ming Dynasty Wuhua Temple of the Martyrs is located atop Gaoshan Village on Dabian Mountain in Shuanghua Town, Wuhua County. Built in the late Ming Dynasty, it was constructed by local people to worship Xie Ermei (also known as Xie Shengxian Niang), a female martyr who was posthumously honored with the title of "Martyr Official." The temple is entirely built of stone, featuring a front pavilion and a rear hall, tightly connected with stone trough components. It has a rectangular floor plan, measuring 5.5 meters in length, 2.82 meters in width, and 3.15 meters in height. The front pavilion features a post-and-lintel stone beam frame with a pyramidal roof at each corner, forming a square floor plan. The front and rear stone pillars are both eight-sided plum blossom columns, with square pedestals in the front and drum-shaped ones at the back. The roof is made from prefabricated stone slabs arranged into upturned eaves with a pyramidal top, crowned with a gourd at the peak. The rear hall has stone-brick walls and a flush-gable roof, with stone slates used as roofing tiles. Inside, there is a stone altar carved with relief patterns, upon which a small stone shrine is placed. The shrine houses a statue of the deity Xie Shengxian Niang. The temple also features three couplets inscribed in regular script. The couplet on the altar reads: “Do not dismiss her for being a woman; her legacy shines as a revered deity.” The couplet on the rear pillar reads: “She bestows peace and happiness upon the world, and brings joy from the heavens.” The couplet on the front pillar reads: “My earnest prayers are offered with all my sincerity and reverence; my heartfelt plea is simply for the deity to grant two words—peace.” The architectural style and materials used in the temple are unique, reflecting the distinctive stonework tradition of Wuhua. There are still many sites nearby associated with Xie Shengxian Niang, such as the Silk Thread Stone where she combed her hair, the Bronze Gong Stone used to signal military news, and the Chessboard Stone where the Three Commanders played chess.

Xie Ermei (birth and death dates unknown) was from Dabianxia in Shuangtou (now Shuanghua), Chang Le County (present-day Wuhua). As a young girl, she disliked traditional feminine attire and trained in martial arts under her father’s guidance, mastering the eighteen forms of combat. By the age of eighteen during the late Ming Dynasty, she became the female leader of a local peasant rebel army. She led her forces in repeated battles against the Three Commanders—Zhang, Mao, and Li—in the regions of Shuangtou and Junying, earning a fearsome reputation that reached the imperial court. Later, she was captured by government troops and died a heroic death. Moved by her bravery and martyrdom, the imperial court posthumously honored her as the “Martyr Official.”

In June 1989, the People’s Government of Guangdong Province designated it as a cultural relics protection unit.

Shuanghua Town: Located in the southeastern part of Wuhua County, Shuanghua Town borders Jiexi and Fengshun, approximately 28 kilometers from the county seat. It governs 16 villages and one neighborhood committee, with a population of 32,550 across 5,587 households. The total area of the jurisdiction is 142 square kilometers, including 15,347 mu of arable land and 175,543 mu of forested land. Last year, the combined industrial and agricultural output value was 80.08 million yuan, the per capita annual income was 2,833 yuan, and the town’s fiscal revenue was 1.8 million yuan. Shuanghua is a well-known revolutionary base area in Wuhua County and was a key region where the revolutionary Gu Dakun was active. The Hetaishui village in the Soviet Area once established a Soviet government. During the Great Revolution... More detailed information about Shuanghua Town ++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units