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 structure. It was constructed to commemorate the female leader of the Baiyue ethnic group in southern China during the Warring States period—the "Dragon Mother." Covering an area of over 110,000 square meters, it features structures such as a memorial archway, front hall, Dragon Mother Palace, Dragon Mother Bedroom, bell tower, drum tower, pagoda, and the tallest Dragon Mother statue in China at 38 meters. It is a sacred site for prayers across Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau, and even Southeast Asia, and is regarded as the foremost Dragon Mother temple in China.

　　The Dragon Mother Temple is located on Guilin Road in Wuzhou City and includes the main hall, rear hall, Five Dragons Spouting Water Wall, and the Inscribed Stele of the General Command. The main hall consists of three adjacent rooms: the central Dragon Mother Hall, the left Prince Hall, and the right General Fu Hall. Historical records suggest that the Dragon Mother was the leader of the ancient "Cangwu" tribe in southern China. She was born on the eighth day of the fifth lunar month, which is celebrated as the "Dragon Mother’s Birthday," and passed away on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, known as the "Ascension Day." As the Dragon Mother dedicated herself to leading people in mountain development and water management, bringing benefits to her community, she earned deep affection from the people. Consequently, the "Dragon Mother’s Birthday" and "Ascension Day" have become traditional commemorative occasions at the temple. On these days, many devout worshippers specifically travel from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau to offer incense and pay homage.

　　Nestled against a mountain and facing water, the Dragon Mother Temple covers an area of over 5,000 square meters and 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, adorned with carved beams and painted rafters. The central shrine enshrines the statue of the Dragon Mother, where worshippers frequently come to pray for her blessings and protection, resulting in ceaseless incense burning in the front courtyard year-round. 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. To the right of the main hall is the Dragon Mother’s temporary palace, which serves as a reception room.

　　The second floor houses a statue of the God of Guan Yu. On the left is a pool of clear water containing a stone turtle symbolizing eternal longevity. The turtle’s back carries a large stone-carved "Inscribed Stele of the General Command." Visitors often toss coins at the turtle for good luck. Behind the turtle pond, the mountain wall features a large relief sculpture titled "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 temple. During these periods, tour groups from Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau, and overseas Chinese communities come to celebrate. Some celebration groups can number up to a thousand. The temple is then decorated with lanterns and festive ornaments, creating a jubilant atmosphere. Both inside and outside the temple, crowds gather, making it extremely lively. The temple remains open all night on these days, and numerous worshippers and tourists rush to offer prayers, burn incense, touch the Dragon Bed, look into the Dragon Mother Mirror, use the Dragon Mother Comb, wash with Dragon Mother Water, drink Dragon Mother Tea, and toss coins into the Longevity Turtle Pond. The temple is bustling with energy, 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, and originally from Xiaotongfang on Shuidong Street in Teng County’s First District. She became known as the Dragon Mother for raising five young dragons and later passed away in Yuecheng, Guangdong. The Dragon Mother performed many benevolent deeds for the people in the Xijiang River basin, such as leading farming, weaving, fishing, and animal husbandry, managing water disasters, ensuring safe travels, 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 inscribed “Qin Dragon Mother, the Rebirth of Goddess Nüwa”; Emperor Taizong of Tang conferred the title “Madam Yong’an” upon Madam Wen; Emperor Taizu of Song titled her “Madam Yongji”; Emperor Taizu of Ming honored her as “Madam Yongning”; and Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty conferred the title “Water Deity Yuanjun” upon the Yuecheng Dragon Mother. 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 sailing on the Xijiang River would sound their horns or beat gongs day and night when approaching within three li of the Dragon Mother Temple during her birthday celebrations. Upon reaching the river surface in front of the temple, they would stop, disembark, and enter the temple to offer incense and candles.

　　Dragon Mother culture has become one of Wuzhou’s most important tourism resources. Every 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 of the first lunar month, the Dragon Mother’s Birthday on the 8th of the fifth lunar month, the Dragon Mother’s Enlightenment Day on the 1st of the eighth lunar month, and the Mother Worship Festival on the 1st of the eleventh lunar month. These attract tens of thousands of tourists from Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau, and other regions. During each Dragon Mother festival, the Shengshengtang in Panyu, Guangzhou, organizes over 4,000 worshippers to participate in the events in Wuzhou.