Xitang’s Folk Hero: The Grain Official Who Defied an Emperor

#discoverchina #xitang In Xitang’s Qilao Ye Temple,locals still worship a Ming Dynasty hero - Master Jin,the seventh-born grain official. During a 17th-century famine, he sacrificed his life after distributing imperial rice to starving villagers. His act of defiance (punishable by death) earned him posthumous deification as the Nation-Protecting Grain King.The temple’s Qing-era opera stage and unique grain-measure roof ornaments memorialize his compassion. Unlike typical deities, this beloved bureaucrat-turned-god reminds us that true nobility lies in selflessness - a lesson etched in Xitang’s collective memory for 400 years. Tip: Visit during April’s temple fair when opera performances bring the legend to life.