Zhou Family Ancestral Hall in Gaochun

Zhou Family Ancestral Hall in Gaochun

The Zhou Family Ancestral Hall in Gaochun is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

The Zhou Family Ancestral Hall is located in Sanhe Village, Zhuanqiang Town, Gaochun District, Nanjing City. It is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province. Originally built in the 34th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1606), the ancestral hall originally had three courtyards. However, it was destroyed by fire during the Qing Dynasty. The currently preserved Zhou Family Ancestral Hall consists only of one wing and the rear section. The architecture is tall, uses refined materials, and features exquisite wood carvings, showcasing high craftsmanship. It was constructed in the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty by members of the Zhou family.

The Zhuanqiang Zhou family are descendants of Zhou Yu, the famous general from the Three Kingdoms period. According to the Republican-era Gaochun County Annals and the Zhou Family Genealogy of Zhuanqiang, Zhou Yu once resided in Xiangguo Weir in Zhuanqiang. After Zhou Yu’s death, the ruler of the Wu Kingdom, Sun Quan, arranged for his eldest son, Zhou Xun, to marry a princess. Zhou Xun built a city and an official residence here and settled down, naming the place Zhoucheng (later known as Zhuanqiang). During the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhou Shengsan, the 28th-generation descendant of the Zhou family, served as a Hanlin Academician. His son, Zhou Cha, was married to Princess Daxian of Emperor Lizong of the Southern Song Dynasty. In the Chunyou era, Emperor Lizong Zhao Yun issued an imperial decree to construct a princely mansion for Zhou Cha and his wife.

The Zhou Family Ancestral Hall was discovered during the third national cultural relics census in 2008 and was listed as one of the top ten discoveries of that census in Jiangsu Province that year.

On December 19, 2011, the People's Government of Jiangsu Province designated it as part of the seventh batch of provincial-level cultural relic protection units.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Relic Protection Units in Jiangsu Province