Temple of Madam Xian 高州冼太庙

About Temple of Madam Xian

A pierced wooden screen depicts birds gathered around a phoenix, while inscriptions and other displays explain how later generations remembered the regional leader. The adjoining Xian Garden adds carved scenes to the visit. Take time with the decorative work rather than treating the temple solely as a biographical monument; its details connect worship, local memory and craft.

The temple was first built in the Daye era of the Sui dynasty (隋朝大业年间) at Gaozhou's original prefectural seat in Dianbai County. In 1535 it moved south to its present site under prefect Shi Jian, and was rebuilt in 1564 and again in 1864. After 1949 the building served as an education bureau and nursery, and its statue of Madam Xian was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. It was restored between 1992 and 1994, and was expanded between 2001 and 2023, adding the Feng Gong Shrine (冯公祠).

The temple faces south along a north-south axis, with brick-and-timber halls arranged in three rows and four courtyards, covering a building area of 833.5 square meters. Its halls hold nearly 100 Ming- and Qing-era wall and eave murals. The middle hall contains a carved double-sided screen, Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix (百鸟朝凤), and the main hall enshrines a wood-carved statue of Madam Xian that can be raised from 2.8 meters seated to 3.8 meters standing.

The temple covers over 3000 square meters and is a Guangdong Provincial Protected Cultural Site (广东省文物保护单位), listed in 2002, and a national AAA-class tourist attraction (国家AAA级旅游景区) since January 2023. A stele recording the temple's Ming-era reconstruction, the Stele of the Rebuilt Qiaoguo Xian Clan Temple (重修谯国冼氏庙碑), is registered as a National Second-Class Cultural Relic (国家二级文物).

What to look for

• The double-sided pierced wooden screen depicts birds gathered around a phoenix.
• Stone-carved scenes in Xian Garden extend the commemoration into an outdoor setting.

Location & getting there

Getting to Temple of Madam Xian

Go to the Madam Xian Temple at 18 Guangming Road in Gaozhou. Many temples across Maoming share the dedication, so include Gaozhou and Guangming Road when arranging the final journey.