Qian Family Ancestral Hall in Zhabei

Qian Family Ancestral Hall in Zhabei

The Qian Family Ancestral Hall in Zhabei is a Shanghai Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Qian Family Ancestral Hall

Walking into Zhabei Park and following a forest path over a small stone bridge, you’ll come face to face with the rustic Qian Family Ancestral Hall. Built with a brick-and-wood structure, it features dark grey eaves, white plaster walls, latticed windows, and an imposing blue-brick gate adorned with four large carved stone characters reading “Qian Family Ancestral Hall.” Particularly eye-catching are the vivid brick carvings on all four sides. According to experts, brick carving originated in the Han Dynasty and flourished most during the Ming and Qing dynasties. These brick carvings were meticulously crafted using chisels and planes as tools on finely textured blue bricks, employing artistic techniques such as relief carving, bas-relief, openwork, and pierced carving. The historical figures depicted are remarkably lifelike, and the images of birds, beasts, and floral patterns are strikingly realistic. The brick carvings on the ancestral hall’s gatehouse reflect the traditional Jiangnan style that was popular in the Yangtze River Delta region in the early years of the Republic of China. At that time, such brick carvings were not uncommon in the Shanghai area, but unfortunately, most were damaged during the Cultural Revolution.

A plaque inscribed with the characters “Chunhui Hall” (Spring Sun Hall) hangs above the main hall of the ancestral temple. (Prior to renovation, the plaque was hung above the main gate.) Passing through the courtyard leads to the rear hall, where a row of red wooden doors opens into five rooms, each with red pillars and beams adorned with delicate carvings. On the eastern side, there are also three additional rooms, two of which serve as kitchens. From the courtyard, one can clearly see various sculptures, including turtles and cranes, decorating the roof eaves of the ancestral hall.

Mr. Qian Shunsheng, a descendant of the Qian family, recalled that according to the family genealogy, in 1918, three brothers of the Qian family—his grandfather among them—contributed 50,000 taels of silver to build the Qian Family Ancestral Hall. Mr. Qian explained that the three brothers had moved from Hangzhou to Shanghai due to the turmoil of war. Though starting humbly as farmers and laborers, they gradually bought land, built houses, and earned a living through rentals. It is said that the historic house at No. 457 Shanxi North Road, once home to the famed artist Wu Changshuo, was rented from the Qian family. Among the brothers, Qian Xiusan stood out the most. A martial arts scholar, he was hired in 1913 as the Chinese general manager of the renowned Sassoon & Co., and frequently interacted with notable figures in Shanghai such as Liu Hongsheng, Yu Qiaqing, Lin Kanghou, as well as art masters like Wu Changshuo and Su Shaoqing.

The Qian Family Ancestral Hall was initially used by the Qian family for ancestral worship and family meetings. After the fall of Shanghai in 1937, the ancestral hall was occupied by invading Japanese forces. Following the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, it was long occupied by refugees, and the original caretaker of the hall had died during the war. In the early years of liberation, after discussions among representatives of the Qian family, the ancestral hall was rented out to the Leidian Refrigerator Repair Factory for use and safekeeping. After the public-private partnership reforms, the ancestral hall was nationalized. At that time, representatives of the Qian family worked with the Zhabei District Real Estate Administration Bureau to handle the property’s transfer procedures, and it became a district-level cultural relics protection unit. In December 2010, the Qian Family Ancestral Hall, located within Zhabei Park, became the headquarters and coaching training base of the Chen Style Tai Chi Chen Wang Martial Arts Research Association.

It was designated as a Shanghai Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 2014.