Also known as Saint Grandma Temple or Loyal Temple, Zhongmiao sits 48 kilometers from downtown Chaohu. It earned the name Zhongmiao (Middle Temple) for its position midway between ancient Chaozhou and Luzhou Prefectures, and bears the laudatory title "The Premier Scenic Wonder Where Lake and Sky Meet". Flourishing with incense through dynasties, a local saying goes: "Jiuhua Mountain in the south, Zhongmiao Temple in the north."

First built in the 2nd year of the Chiwu reign of the Eastern Wu Dynasty, the temple suffered repeated destruction and reconstruction over centuries. The renovation completed in the 1st year of the Longji reign of the Later Tang featured "mandarin duck tiles soaring into the sky, its beauty unmatched by any painted scroll". Another restoration took place in the 2nd year of the Baoda reign of the Southern Tang, forming six rows with 24 chambers. The statue of Grandmother Tai, with rosy cheeks and willow-green eyebrows, "stood in the treasure chamber, enshrined before the incense altar".

In the Yuan Dynasty, the temple’s foundation was arched into a bridge called Ao’s Back Cave, with halls erected above it. By the Qing Dynasty, the compound boasted grand pavilions, worship halls, kiosks and balustraded verandas. In the 15th year of the Guangxu reign, Li Hongzhang initiated fundraising for a full reconstruction, dividing the temple into front, middle and rear halls with over 70 rooms total. The three-story scripture library in the rear hall featured eight-sided windows, upturned flying eaves at each corner, and tiny bells hanging from every ridge tip.