Gaozhou Xiantai Temple was built in 1535 to commemorate the life of Xian Ying (AD 513-603), a female Baiyue leader, politician and military strategist.

The Baiyue were a disparate group of states located in Southern China and northern Vietnam between the first millennium BC and the first millennium AD. Xian Ying, also known as Madame Xian, dedicated her life to regional development and promoting unity. Her esteemed position in Chinese history was repudiated by Zhou Enlai who described her as "China's First Heroine."

Gaozhou Xiantai Temple [Photo/xianfuren.cn]

Madame Xian continues to exert a strong cultural influence into the present day. Temples dedicated to her can be found throughout Guangdong, Hainan and Southeast Asia. There are over 200 Xiantai temples in Maoming alone and the Gaozhou temple is the largest and most influential one among them. Gaozhou is part of the Guangdong city of Maoming.

The temple is comprised of variously sized halls and the adjoining Fenggong temple. Inside, visitors can find a statue of Madame Xian, a range of stone carvings and tablet inscriptions. The quality and importance of the temple led to its being designated a key provincial cultural relic by the regional authorities.

A number of eminent dignitaries have visited Xiantai temple, notably former Chinese president Jiang Zemin in 2002 who encouraged the further development of the site and its educational capacities. This desire of Jiang's has been realized through the integration of Xiantai temple with Panzhou Park.

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