Wu Family Ancestral Hall in Quzhou

Wu Family Ancestral Hall in Quzhou

The Wu Family Ancestral Hall in Quzhou is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Wu Family Ancestral Hall is located in Wangchetang Village, Yunxi Township, Qujiang District, and was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit in March 2013. The ancestral hall covers an area of approximately 2,100 square meters, with a built-up area of 1,432 square meters. It has a rectangular floor plan and faces west-southwest. The structure consists of four sections from west to east: the front hall, main hall, corridor, and rear building. The front hall includes a stage. The front and main halls are each three bays wide, with a total width of 14 meters and a depth of 11.5 meters. The central bay features ten rafters with double steps in the front and back, plus a single step at the rear. The round ridge beams have a slightly outwardly arched rectangular cross-section. Both ends are supported by tenon heads, with column capitals featuring entasis and spindle-shaped columns, all of which are sturdy. The structure uses decorative bricks, has a flush gable roof covered with alternating blue-gray tiles, and is floored with clay tiles. Renovations were carried out in 1998 and 2008.

According to the Wu Family Genealogy of Wangchetang Village: The ancestor Wu Chun, also known as Shiquan, passed through Sanqu (present-day Quzhou) with his father in the 3rd year of Shaoding during the reign of Emperor Lizong of the Song Dynasty (1230). While visiting the scenic area of Qingyuan Township in Xi’an, he was captivated by the beautiful landscape and chose to settle in Lutian. During the late Yuan Dynasty, around the Zhizheng era, a war led to a fire, prompting the fifth-generation ancestor Wu Shixian to relocate from Lutian to Wangchetang. The seventh-generation brothers Wu Zhenrong and Wu Zhenlong, who were wealthy and had amassed great fortunes, responded to an imperial decree by donating 2,000 hu of grain to relieve the shortfall in Tongzhou and 170 taels of silver to the capital. Emperor JingTai bestowed upon them the honorary title of seventh-rank scattered officials and, in the 4th year of the JingTai era (1453), issued an imperial edict to erect the “Gate Commending the Righteousness of Wu Ronglong.” At the same time, the ancestral hall was constructed. It was burned down in the 9th year of the Ming Jiajing era (1530), but the existing Wu Family Ancestral Hall and the memorial archway in front of it were rebuilt in the 11th year of Jiajing (1532).

The overall layout and scale of the Wu Family Ancestral Hall are grand, and the use of large materials for beams and columns further enhances its majestic presence. As described in the Wu Family Genealogy: “The hall encompasses all four sides, and the ridge rises with eight edges, creating a truly magnificent sight.” The Record of the Reconstruction of the Wu Family Residence also details the construction process of the ancestral hall: “Beams were sourced from Kuocang Mountain, columns from Tongfeng; stones were quarried from Huangtan, fir timber from Tingbu; carpenters were hired from Qianyu (Qianyu, Fujian), and potters from Huizhou-Wuyuan (Wuyuan, Anhui). Planning was meticulous, and the schedule was well-defined.” The Wu Family Ancestral Hall exhibits distinct architectural features of the Ming Dynasty, including the entasis of beams and columns, flat-style round ridge beams, octagonal column bases cushioned with inverted basins, and carvings of peony motifs primarily on spandrels, purlins, and brackets. The themes and techniques of the carvings fully reflect typical early Ming practices. It is the largest ancestral hall in Qujiang District in terms of floor area and provides extremely valuable material for the study of architectural history and the regional characteristics of traditional folk architecture.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units