The Jiang Family Ancestral Hall

The Jiang Family Ancestral Hall

The Jiang Family Ancestral Hall is a cultural relic protection unit of Kaihua County.

The Jiang Family Ancestral Hall in Suzhuang Town features magnificent architecture and exquisite carvings. In 1983, it was listed as a county-level key cultural relics protection unit.

Legend has it that the Shu Chuan branch of the Jiang family originally had two ancestral halls. During the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty, to resolve a dispute between factions, the “Gaoyang Hall” at Fenglingtou was demolished and merged into one hall called the “Qingshan Hall,” which is the current Jiang Family Ancestral Hall. In the tenth year of the Republic of China, the front hall was rebuilt, covering an area of more than 2,000 square meters. It was overseen by the local gentry Jiang Youxi and Jiang Zhonglin, who worked diligently and completed the project in three years. The lacquered carvings are exquisitely detailed, adding even more grandeur. Hanging directly above the central hall is a plaque inscribed with “Qingshan Hall,” each character nearly one meter square. On both sides are fifteen large plaques inscribed with eulogies commemorating the virtues of the ancestors: “Assisted Zhou, Enfeoffed Qi,” “Spring Wells Surpass Carp,” “Filial Piety Forever Honored,” “Artistic Excellence Renowned,” “Renown Brings Glory to the Nation,” “Integrity Stands Firm as Pine and Bamboo.” All are written in bold, elegant ancient calligraphy. Among them, the four characters “Integrity Stands Firm as Pine and Bamboo” are said to have been inscribed and bestowed by President Xu Shichang in the early years of the Republic of China.

Opposite the central hall is a stage, adorned with a plaque inscribed with the words “Learn from the Past, Reflect on the Present,” written in powerful, striking strokes. On the pillars on both sides are hung a pair of philosophical couplets.

Observe the tales of today — within them lie insightful lessons;

Reflect on the figures of old — beyond them, no extraordinary sights remain.

In the first month of the thirteenth year of the Republic of China, a new stage was erected for festival performances. Jiang Baixi specially purchased a 500-watt gas lamp from Hangzhou. Its bright light illuminated the area like daylight, drawing crowds of spectators and creating an extraordinarily lively atmosphere.

The Jiang Family Ancestral Hall can be considered a cultural landmark. Whenever villagers have guests from out of town, they always make sure to show it to them; young people leaving the village to seek marriage often take pride in the ancestral hall; village girls marrying out also often cherish memories of the hall. A folk song, “I’d give up my father, I’d give up my mother, but I couldn’t bear to leave the beautiful grand ancestral hall,” has endured, demonstrating the deep affection people hold for the hall.

Inside the hall is a shrine that houses the memorial tablets of the ancestors. On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year every year, all the descendants of the clan gather in the hall to pay homage to their ancestors and receive “Ding cakes.” Starting on the eighth day, festival performances are held for eight days; from the thirteenth to the fifteenth nights, lanterns are paraded and celebrated; and on the sixth day of the second lunar month, the Spring Sacrifice is held. These are annual ceremonial rituals passed down through generations. Additionally, all major clan affairs are discussed and decided by the “elders” over sixty years of age and the “scholars” who have achieved scholarly honors, within the hall. In cases of unfilial behavior within the clan, the clan leader also disciplines and handles the matter inside the hall. The hall is usually maintained and managed by the “head stewards,” and private use is not permitted.

The ancestral hall has 54 pillars, an over 80-square-meter stage in front of the hall, and a 100-square-meter courtyard. Most of the wooden materials inside the hall are from maple trees. The door hall features large beams and bracket arms carved with various figures and animals, such as “Iron-Crutch Li Drinking Wine,” “Ji Gong Exorcising Demons,” and “Nine Lions Dancing.” The row of four pillars in front of the stage is made from a single camphor tree trunk, symbolizing the Jiang family’s “prosperity for generations.” Above the stage, on the left and right, are carvings depicting scenes such as “King Wen Bestowing Treasures,” “Li Bai Drunk,” “Laughing Buddha,” “Nezha Stirring Up the Sea,” and “Double Phoenixes Bringing Auspiciousness.”

In the twentieth year of the Republic of China, the rear section of the ancestral hall was converted into a central primary school. In the twenty-fifth year of the Republic of China, the Xiehe Township Office was established in the central hall. During the “Second World War period,” the Nationalist army often stationed here, and many walls and partitions were damaged.

In 1956, the ancestral hall was repurposed as the Suzhuang Grain Station. In 1964, the grain station moved out, and the rear section was later converted into a tea processing factory. In 2003, the Jiang Family Ancestral Hall underwent renovation, with decaying beams and pillars replaced and the front hall stage repainted, giving it a completely renewed look.