Xie Family Ancestral Hall

Xie Family Ancestral Hall

The Xie Family Ancestral Hall is a cultural heritage site protected by Xinghua City.

The Xie Family Ancestral Hall is located in Shichang Lane on Dongchengwa Street in downtown Xinghua. It is a Ming Dynasty structure built with brick and wood. The hall consists of an east wing, west wing, central hall (main hall), side rooms, main gate, second gate, and rear gate (que gate). Currently, three two-story buildings along the east-west axis and the west side room remain, totaling 18 rooms. At the eastern end, there is a two-story stairwell building, with a total floor area of 368.11 square meters.

The Xie Family Ancestral Hall was the earliest settlement of the Xie family when they migrated to Xinghua in the early Ming Dynasty. According to the *Genealogy of the Xie Family from Helitang*, in the second year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1369), Xie Qier, the founding ancestor of the Xie family, moved from Changmen in Suzhou to Xinghua with his family and built a residence in what is now the area of the “Xie Family Ancestral Hall.” Soon after, Xie Qier converted the original residence into the “Songhe Taoist Temple” (also known as the Laihe Temple), and also built a three-courtyard, west-facing temple complex called the “Yan Gong Temple” (also known as the Old Ancestor Temple) in the southeast corner.

During the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty (1403–1424), the Xie family constructed the Xie Family Ancestral Hall with its main gate facing east on the northeastern side of the “Songhe Taoist Temple,” covering an area of about 3,000 square meters. The front section of the ancestral hall was a two-story building facing south (which collapsed in the 1990s), while the rear section was a row of connected buildings also facing south, divided into eastern, central, and western parts. The central hall was originally a single-story building from the Ming Dynasty, but was converted into a two-story structure in the early Republican period, following the architectural style of the Ming-era western hall. The eastern hall was originally built in the Ming Dynasty and renovated in the Qing Dynasty. A plaque inscribed with “Spiritual Ancestors Bestow Blessings” hangs inside the western hall. The eastern, western, and central halls, together with the front hall, are interconnected to form a unified structure.

According to the *Record of the Construction of the Xie Ancestral Hall*: “The Xie family originally had no ancestral hall. The Xie Family Ancestral Hall built in the northern corner of the Yan Gong Temple was the former residence of our ancestor, Seventh Master Qier… Hence, the plaque hung in the main hall was inscribed with the name ‘Helitang,’ and a spirit cabinet was placed inside. The upper level enshrined the statue of Yan Gong obtained during the river crossing, while the lower level honored our seventh ancestor, Qier…”

The ancestral hall originally housed memorial tablets for generations of the Xie ancestors. The pillars on both sides were adorned with a blue-background, gold-character couplet that read: “Spring and autumn sacrifices are conducted in accordance with the rituals and music of ancient sages; left and right lineage is arranged to record the generational origins of one family.” Additionally, plaques such as “Helitang,” “Generations of Imperial Grace,” and “Renowned House of Three Reflections” were hung inside.

As a type of connected-hall ancestral architecture, the Xie Family Ancestral Hall is quite distinctive. Its existence not only provides a blueprint for studying the artistic features of Ming Dynasty ancestral hall architecture, but also offers physical evidence for research on early Ming refugees, folklore, and genealogy studies. It holds reference value for the study of “ancestral hall culture” within traditional Chinese ethnic culture.

In 2007, it was designated as a cultural heritage site by the People’s Government of Xinghua City.