The Wang Family Ancestral Hall in Chongxianli

The Wang Family Ancestral Hall in Chongxianli

The Wang Family Ancestral Hall in Chongxianli is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Jiangsu Province.

The Wang Family Ancestral Hall in Chongxianli is located in Dalu Town, New District, Zhenjiang City. It was built as a family ancestral hall by the local Wang clan. During the Anti-Japanese War, it served as the office of the Shanbei County government of the New Fourth Army. The ancestral hall was originally constructed in the 27th year of the Qing Dynasty’s Guangxu reign (1901), underwent renovations during the 13th year of the Republic of China (1924), and its architectural structure has been well preserved. The layout includes several courtyards: the front courtyard, the middle courtyard, and the rear courtyard, covering a total area of 490 square meters. The first courtyard consists of the entrance hall, which is 6.5 meters deep with seven roof rafters, and features well-preserved wooden carvings and brackets on the beams and columns. The second courtyard has a ceremonial gate with brick carvings on both sides. Inside is a second courtyard space, with a stone platform in front of the main hall. The main hall is 6.5 meters deep with ten roof rafters, and its beams, columns, roof, and wood carvings are all well preserved. The third courtyard is the bedroom hall, 6 meters deep with eight roof rafters. Side doors from the back wall of the main hall lead to the third courtyard, which features an eave corridor. There are also auxiliary rooms in three sections on the north side and one and three sections on the south side. The Wang Family Ancestral Hall is one of the oldest and highest-standard ancestral halls in the Zhenjiang area. Its current architectural layout remains intact and serves as an important physical resource for studying Ming and Qing dynasty ancestral hall architecture, brick-and-wood carving art, folk culture, and population migration in the Zhenjiang region, holding significant historical value.

In the past, a pair of stone drums were placed in front of the main gate, with the four characters “Wang Family Ancestral Hall” prominently displayed. The second gate was a stone-carved archway with exquisite engravings. The spacious courtyard was paved with bluestone, featuring a moon platform. The central hall had three bays and an open space, giving off a grand and imposing atmosphere with carved beams and painted rafters, ornamental windows, and latticed curtains. The corridors in front of the eaves of all three sections were paved with flagstones. A plaque inscribed with “Yan Li Tang” (Hall of Solemn Ritual) hung from the center of the main hall’s roof, while plaques inscribed with congratulatory messages from members of the Wang clan celebrating their ancestors’ honors hung on all sides. Among them, a plaque opposite “Yan Li Tang” bore the inscription “Dai Tian Jue Shi” (Representing Heaven to Awaken the World), written by a respected and learned tutor surnamed Hou hired by the Wang clan, likely dating to the late Qing Dynasty.

Passing through a small inner courtyard and descending with the terrain leads to the rear section, which is surrounded by a corridor along the front eaves. The rear section houses the ancestral shrine of the Wang family, where memorial tablets of ancestors are enshrined. In front of the shrine are offerings and incense burners, facing a carved depiction of the “Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars.” Two flower stands are built in the small inner courtyard: the one on the right holds a centuries-old osmanthus tree, whose fragrance wafts for miles every Mid-Autumn Festival in August; the one on the left holds a purple magnolia, which blooms in early spring each year with richly colored and strikingly beautiful flowers. Outside the southern wall of the ancestral hall lies a pomegranate garden. In early spring, its new leaves are red; in summer, “May pomegranates are as red as fire” with blossoms covering the branches; and in autumn, it bears abundant fruit. The flowers and fruits symbolize prosperity and peace.

The Wang Family Ancestral Hall is considered to be of quite high rank and standard throughout the eastern part of Zhenjiang. Such high-standard ancestral halls are rare in the eastern Zhenjiang area, reflecting precisely the family’s status and influence in the locality.

In March 2019, the Wang Family Ancestral Hall in Chongxianli was included in the eighth batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units