Guangzhou's first folk museum is to be built in Huadu District, on the site of the 130-year-old Grandmaster ancestral temple.

The temple, which was established in 1863 in the Qing Dynasty, is 27 years older than the Chan Family ancestral temple in Liwan District, a well-known historical site.

The district government will invest 10 million yuan (US$1.20 million) in a start-up fund for the renovation and maintenance of the temple, which would open to the public by the end of this year, sources from the district's culture bureau said.

The museum, which covers an area of 18,000 square meters, will fully manifest the province's folk culture particularly in the Pearl River Delta region.

It comprises the Grandmaster ancestral temple, the Nanshan Academy and two other temples, and will be one of the most important historical relics in Guangzhou.

History says that Xu Fangzheng and Xu Biaozheng, two cousins who served in the military during Emperor Tongzhi's reign in the Qing Dynasty, were in the emperor's good graces for their contributions. So the emperor conferred on their grandfather and father the title of Grandmaster and the temples were built as a memorial to the grace of the emperor.
 
(Shenzhen Daily February 3, 2005)