Nan Lanling (now Viva Village, menghe town, Xinbei District, Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province) is a native. The founder of Nanliang regime, the temple name is Gaozu. Xiao Yan, the son of the Xiao family in Lanling, is the 25th grandson of Xiao He, the prime minister of Han Dynasty. His father, Xiao Shunzhi, is the younger brother of Emperor Gao of Qi, Governor Yin of Danyang and mother Zhang Shangrou. He used to be an official in Nanqi. In the second year of the Southern Qi Dynasty (502), Qi and Emperor forcibly established a "Zen position" in Xiaoyan and Nanliang. Xiao Yan reigned for 48 years, ranking first among the emperors in the Southern Dynasties. He made great achievements during his reign. In his later years, the "Hou Jing Rebellion" broke out, and the capital fell and was imprisoned by Hou Jing. He died in Taicheng at the age of 86 and was buried in spiritual practice. He was named Emperor Wu, with the temple name Gaozu.