Xian Tai Temple in Gaozhou

　　Xian Tai Temple in Gaozhou is situated on Wenming Road in Gaozhou City, north of Panzhou Park. It was initially constructed in the 14th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1535 AD), and underwent renovations in the 43rd year of Jiajing and during the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty. The main structure consists of three sections, with a total depth of 49.5 meters, a total width of 13.4 meters, and a construction area of 826.3 square meters. It is divided into a front hall, middle hall, and main hall. The main hall features a post-and-lintel beam structure, with carved beams and painted rafters, resplendent and magnificent. The roof ridge is adorned with gray plaster sculptures such as two dragons playing with a pearl. Stone inscriptions within the temple, including the “Record of Lady Xian” and “Letter Upon Visiting Lady Xian’s Temple,” are well preserved. After the liberation, the temple was once converted into a kindergarten, the statue of Lady Xian was destroyed, and many artifacts were lost. Since the 1980s, thanks to the attention of relevant departments at the provincial, municipal, and county levels, donations from people of all walks of life have enabled its restoration. The jade incense burner carved in the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty, which had been privately kept by residents, was also returned to the temple. Two statues of Lady Xian—one large and one small—were created; the larger one was designed by sculptors and mechanics based on the original image, crafted with ingenuity so that it can sit or stand, allowing visitors to pay their respects.

　　Xian Tai Temple in Gaozhou is the largest temple dedicated to Lady Xian in the Gaozhou area. In the early Ming Dynasty, after the prefectural seat of Gaozhou was relocated south to Maoming City (now downtown Gaozhou), the Xian Tai Temple was also moved south and built outside the east gate in 1535 AD, known as Xian Tai Temple in Gaozhou.

　　The main structure of Xian Tai Temple in Gaozhou is a three-bay, four-section building, with a total width of 13.2 meters, a depth of 62.2 meters, and a construction area of 826.3 square meters. It has a brick-and-wood structure, red walls and green tiles, with upturned eaves and brackets, and is richly decorated. It employs artistic techniques such as painted murals, applied reliefs, and carvings, showcasing a strong ethnic style and regional character.

　　Painted murals: These mainly consist of frescoes. Based on folk tales, each painting depicts a single theme, and they are continuously painted along the top edges of the walls and eaves in various halls, totaling nearly a hundred murals. In the middle hall, murals from both the Ming and Qing dynasties overlap, creating a rare multi-layered painting style that holds significant historical and artistic value.

　　Applied reliefs: These mainly adorn the roof ridges. The front, middle, main, and rear halls all feature ridge decorations with themes such as two dragons playing with a pearl, two carp leaping over the dragon gate, and stories about Lady Xian. These relief works are creatively designed and refreshing to behold.

　　Carvings: These are primarily divided into stone carvings and wood carvings. Stone carvings include zodiac animal railings, three-dimensional dragon pillars, door knocker drums, and male and female seated lions. Wood carvings include auspicious screens, floral ceiling panels, gate guardians, eave skirts, and the seated statue of Lady Xian. These carving works use traditional craftsmanship to express classical ethnic art, dignified and rustic, and are deeply loved by the public.

　　Inside the central bay of the main hall of Xian Tai Temple stands the seated statue of Lady Xian. Flanking her are two personal attendants: one named Mulan, who holds her sword, and the other named Cao’e, who keeps her military seal. These two figures always accompany her, standing on either side.

　　Seated in the center on a dragon throne is the statue of Lady Xian. The larger statue in the back is permanently fixed within the temple hall; the smaller one in front is a portable shrine statue, which could be carried during processions. The large fixed statue inside the hall is ingeniously designed. With the press of a mechanism, it can stand, sit, extend its arms, and retract them on its own, making it convenient for worshippers to change its clothes. This movable design is highly sophisticated and rare, only found in the statues of Xian Tai Temple in Gaozhou, and not seen in other Xian Tai Temples. This flexible design gives visitors a particularly intimate and marvelous experience.

　　On the side walls of the middle bay of the middle hall are inlaid dozens of stone inscriptions, containing over ten thousand characters in five different calligraphic styles: seal, regular, clerical, running, and Song typeface. These inscriptions faithfully record the life and historical achievements of Lady Xian, serving both as valuable research material and masterpieces of calligraphy art. These diverse art forms complement each other, providing a delightful visual and artistic experience.

　　The rear hall of the temple is the Fengong Temple. Fengong refers to Feng Bao, the husband of Lady Xian, who served as Prefect of Gao Liang and supported Lady Xian throughout her endeavors. He was posthumously honored by Emperor Wen of Sui as Governor of Guangzhou and Duke of Qiao. Fengong Temple is a single-section structure, with a large courtyard in front of the main hall and corridors on both sides, connecting to the side bays of the Xian Tai Temple’s main hall. The temple houses seated statues of Feng Bao and his wife, referred to by the public as the Deity of Harmony. Young men and women facing difficulties often come here to whisper their troubles and seek guidance from the deities. This integrated architectural layout of a shared temple for Lady Xian and Feng Bao is relatively rare among Xian temples.

　　Xian Tai Temple in Gaozhou is a typical representative of Xian temple architecture, possessing high historical, scientific, and research value, and is a municipal-level cultural heritage site.