The Temple for Madame Xian

5 min read

The Temple for Madame Xian is located 1.5 kilometers to the northwest of Xinpo Town，Qiongshan District，Haikou and was built in memory of Madame Xian，who has been well-known throughout Guangdong Province，Hainan Province and Southeast Asia.

Xian Ying（512-602），known as Madame Xian，had lived in three different dynasties and kingdoms in Chinese history，such as Liang，Chen Kingdom of the Southern and Northern Dynasty period and the Sui Dynasty，and was an outstanding female politician and strategist in the period among hundreds of minorities living in south China，and she made significant contributions to thepolitical stability，national harmony，economic prosperity，and homeland unity in Lingnan Prefecture，which includes nowadays Hainan island，southwest Guangdong Province and the Leizhou Peninsula.

Madame Xian’s name in her childhood was Xian Baihe，which means lily.She was born in a chief family，a family that governed the region where there were about 100，000 families.Madame Xian was born a smart child，and was brave and boyish under the influence of her father and brothers.She had beenin the combats between tribes several times.Later Madame Xian learnt martial skills from a master. Not only was she able to do archery, but also she was good at strategies in the war. As a strategist, she knew how to placate people since she was young, and was deeply admired by people. Once one of her brothers Xian Ting, who was the governor of South Liangzhou, ganged up with local strongmen to exploit local people; the situation was seriously intense then. Madame Xian made efforts to negotiate, mediate in the conflicts, and she succeeded to resolve the problem, prevented people from war and maintained peace. Since Madame Xian was well known, some tribes on Hainan Island came to follow her. Sagacious since childhood, upright as a strategist, able to command troops, skilled in fighting enemies, supportive of peaceful way, Madame Xian was regarded as a great woman among people.

During the late Liang Dynasty, the Hou Rebellion occurred. In the year of 550 AD, Madame Xian supported Chen Ba to call for a jihad, and squash the rebellion. When Chen Dynasty was just built, the political situation was really unstable, threatened by separatist force led by Ouyang He, and it was hard to carry out the new policies. Again Madame Xian helped the Chen Dynasty to conquer this separatist force in Lingnan region, for which she was given the royal title of Imperial Corps Commander, greeted the same way as county governor. It was extremely rare that a female could be given a royal title and greeted like county governor in such feudal society.

Madame Xian was a chief of minorities in Lingnan region, possessing her own armed forces, able to build a separatist kingdom for herself. However instead of political division, she chose the national unity, and devoted herself to serving the country. Her support played an important role in the political stability of Zhujiang River region during the Liang Dynasty, Chen Dynasty as well as the Sui and Tang Dynasty. Madame Xian made great contribution to local political and economic developments. Moreover, she promoted the reestablishment of the system of prefectures and counties in the Li minority region on Hainan Island. Liang Dynasty adopted Madame Xian’s suggestion, and reestablished the system of prefectures and counties in the region of Li minority on Hainan Island, thus giving Hainan Island closer access to the Central Plain of China, which benefited both national unity and local development on Hainan Island.

When there were festivals, Madame Xian would exhibit her awards from the Liang Dynasty, Chen Dynasty and Sui Dynasty, so as to make her descendants realize that they should be loyal to the country, be kind to the people, like her. When Madame Xian was almost eighty years old, she even applied to impeach an official in nowadays Guangdong Province, Zhao Ne, who committed corruption, and compensated local people for their loss. Thus, Madame Xian made great contributions to the tranquility and unity in Lingnan region.

Every family here knows about the famous story that once upon a time, inthe spring, Madame Xian and her husband Mr. Feng came to the island with their army along Nandu River and quartered at the foot of a hill, and then began to dispatch the troops to fight against the rebellions. With the strict disciplines and the affection for local residents, the army got great admiration and cooperation wherever it arrived. More and more local bandits surrendered, hence the local residents began to live a tranquil life. To commemorate the march, people have celebrations every year at the same day, imitating the grand march, which is nowadays the Junpo Festival(also called Cultural Festival ofMadame Xian). Junpo Festival lasts for four days, when thousands of people in Hainan Province come and worship Madame Xian. People burn incense and pray in front of the statue of Madame Xian, then take back the banners they While her troops were quartered on Hainan Island, Madame Xian called on people to grow five plants: sweet potato, taro, leek, mulberry and orange, for sweet potato and taro symbolized stable developments, leek the longevity, mulberry and orange the luck and prosperity, and then she provided the seeds. Every year on Junpo Festival, people sell and hang the five plants as symbols of welfare around to pray for greater harvest the next year. Such custom has been passed from generation to generation for 1,400 years.

Legend goes that there was a mountain near Madame Xian’s troopsa mountain where those who entered it would get lost and eaten by beasts, and people all thought it was the monsters in the mountain. Having heard about this, Madame Xian handed out banners to protect people in the mountain from bandits, which turned out effective. In this way, local residents had their ideology lighted up and they could travel farther with more activities. This led to the emergence of market and economic development. Nowadays on the festival people still manufacture the banners and decorate doors and cars with them so that the banners will bring them prosperity.