The Shen Family Ancestral Hall

The Shen Family Ancestral Hall

The Shen Family Ancestral Hall is a Shanghai Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Shen Family Ancestral Hall is located in Dongchen, Qiujiang Village, Jiangqiao Town, dating back to the Republican era.

The entire structure faces south and sits northward, overlooking the Qiujiang River. It has a width of three bays, spans three courtyards, features a screen wall at the front, includes interior corridors, and is flanked by a gate tower that extends tens of meters in the front and rear. The roof adopts the traditional local flush-gable style, with Guanyin hood-style gables at both ends. Constructed using the most advanced Western reinforced concrete materials of the time, the overall structure is majestic. The roof tiles and the entrance hall structure incorporate elements of Western architectural styles from the period while also inheriting the essence of traditional Chinese construction art.

According to Director Jin Rong from the Geographical Culture Department of the Jiading Museum, the Shen Family Ancestral Hall originally had two courtyards: the “Yang Courtyard” and the “Yin Courtyard.” The “Yang Courtyard,” built with traditional wooden structures, was destroyed by Japanese bombing during the War of Resistance. The surviving “Yin Courtyard” was constructed using concrete technology, eliminating the need for any wooden beams. This not only saved a significant amount of timber but also addressed common issues with traditional materials such as leakage and corrosion, achieving a sturdy and aesthetically pleasing façade that has endured to this day.

Regarding the currently dilapidated state of the Shen Family Ancestral Hall, Qi Chunming, director of the Jiading District Museum, told reporters that this building was discovered during the third national cultural relics survey and was subsequently listed as a district-level cultural relics protection unit, after which a series of preservation efforts were carried out.

The Shen Family Ancestral Hall was designated as a district-level cultural relics protection unit in 2010 and was elevated to a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit in 2014.

Protected area: North: Jingyuan Road; South: Qiujiang River; West: 10 meters outside the main structure; East: 10 meters east of the gate tower.

Construction control zone: West: 10 meters outside the protected area; South, North, and East: same as the protected area.

Jiangqiao Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Jiading District, Shanghai. Established as Jiangqiao Commune in 1959, became a township in 1983, and was upgraded to a town in 1993. Located in the western part of the city, it covers an area of 18 square kilometers with a population of 20,000. It administers 14 village committees including Jiangqiao, Qinfeng, 0, Xingfu, Wusi, Dazhai, Shahe, Huazhuang, Fengzhuang, Zhaqiao, Zhenxin, Zhenjiang, Jianhua, and Jianxin, as well as 2 neighborhood committees. The main agricultural products are vegetables, along with pork, poultry eggs, and edible fungi, making it one of the bases of Shanghai’s “vegetable basket” project. Township enterprises operate in industries such as electromechanical, chemical, wood products, medical equipment, and home appliances. …… More details about Jiangqiao Town++