Ruan Family Ancestral Hall and Tomb

Ruan Family Ancestral Hall and Tomb

The Ruan Family Ancestral Hall and Tomb is a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Unit.

Ruan Family Ancestral Hall and Tomb

It is now a provincial-level cultural heritage protection unit. The ancestral hall is located at No. 8 Yuxian Street in the urban area, and the tomb is in Huai'er Village, Huaixi Town, Hanjiang District. The ancestral hall was built during the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty (1796–1820) as the family shrine of Ruan Yuan, a Qing Dynasty scholar, enshrining four generations: great-great-grandfather, great-grandfather, grandfather, and father. Ruan Yuan (1764–1849), courtesy name Boyuan and art name YunTai, was a native of Yizheng, Yangzhou Prefecture. A Jinshi degree holder from the Qianlong era, he held numerous important official positions. In his later years, he was appointed Grand Secretary of the Tiren Hall and Grand Tutor, dedicating his life to academic research. The ancestral hall faces south and covers an area of approximately 1,520 square meters. It includes a front gate hall, a second gate hall, the main hall, and the Wenxuan Well, with the buildings largely well-preserved. The first two sections both have three-bay facades. The main hall features a flush gable roof, with five bays wide and seven rafters deep, flanked by corridors on both sides. At the center of the southern street-facing wall of the ancestral hall is embedded a stone plaque inscribed with “Tai Fu Wen Da Ruan Gong Family Temple.” To the east of the ancestral hall lie three sections of Ruan Yuan’s former residence. In 2009, the ancient buildings of the eastern residence were renovated, and an exhibition on Ruan Yuan’s life was arranged. In 2010, the western section buildings and the Sui Wenxuan Tower were reconstructed. The Sui Wenxuan Tower will be used to establish the Yangzhou School Memorial Hall. The Ruan family tomb complex covers an area of 4,200 square meters. To the southeast lies the joint burial tomb of Ruan Yuan, his secondary wife Lady Kong, concubines Lady Liu and Lady Xie, and his maid Lady Tang. The tomb mound is 8 meters in diameter and 1.8 meters high. In front of the tomb is a stele inscribed with “Tomb Epitaph of Lord Ruan Wen Da,” written by Yang Wending. To the north are the joint burial tombs of Ruan Yuan’s grandparents and parents, with tomb mounds 12 and 10 meters in diameter respectively. To the east is the tomb gate and tomb passage. At the start of the passage stands a stone tablet engraved with the inscriptions of Ruan Yuan’s grandfather Zhuo Yan and father Xiang Pu on the front, and on the back is Ruan Yuan’s “Record of the Ruan Family Tomb Map at Leitang,” written in the 12th year of the Jiaqing era. Beside the tablet is a stone horse.

Huaixi Town: Although Yangzhou once had city gates, people under the age of 60 no longer remember what they looked like. However, in the local people's collective memory, Yangzhou still has its “gates”—one in each of the four directions: east, west, south, and north. But these “gates” are not literal gates; they simply represent the city’s entrances. For example, the area near the South Ring Expressway is known as the “South Gate,” the entrance from the Liaojiagou Bridge is called the “East Gate,” Jiangwang Town in Hanjiang District is considered the “West Gate,” and for the “North Gate,” although both Xihu Town and Huaixi Town are options, locals have long agreed that only Huaixi Town truly qualifies.

Generally speaking... More details about Huaixi Town ++

Further reading:

· Fifth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units