The Xu Clan Ancestral Hall of Shinantang

The Xu Clan Ancestral Hall of Shinantang

The Xu Clan Ancestral Hall of Shinantang is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Xu Clan Ancestral Hall of Shinantang is located on the banks of the Wuyi River, south of Shinantang Village in Yafan Town, Wucheng District, Jinhua City. It is a Ming Dynasty ancestral hall structure. In front of the screen wall is the Wuyi River, where a small dock allows boats to moor. The entire building faces south and consists of a screen wall, entrance hall, main hall, and rear hall. It has five bays, three courtyards, and two skywells, arranged in a square layout. The area is nearly 1,047 square meters.

The Xu Clan Ancestral Hall of Shinantang, with the Wuyi River in front of its screen wall and a small dock for boat mooring, faces south and comprises a screen wall, entrance hall, main hall, and rear hall. It features five bays, three courtyards, and two skywells in a square layout, covering an area of nearly 1,047 square meters. The upper part of the screen wall and a section of the gate tower have been dismantled, but the rest remains largely intact. The total width is 20 meters, and the depth is 52.35 meters. The entrance hall and main hall both have five bays, with the central bay’s beam frame using a nine-rafter raised-beam style with front and rear corridors, featuring moon beams with carved dragon-whisker patterns at the ends. The single-step beams are shaped like mythical beast heads. The construction combines both raised-beam and post-and-lintel styles. The rear hall also has five bays, with the central bay using a nine-rafter raised-beam frame and the side bays using post-and-lintel construction. The side corridors each have three bays. The entrance hall, main hall, rear hall, and wing rooms all use stone beams and square chamfered stone pillars with ?-shaped bases. The rafters are made of wood. The overall layout is largely complete, with a simple yet sturdy structure and the use of relatively large materials. The Xu Clan Ancestral Hall is rigorously structured and grand in scale, covering nearly 1,047 square meters. Notably, its entire beam frame is constructed from stone—an enormous feat of engineering—with archaic and restrained carvings and architectural forms that distinctly reflect Ming Dynasty characteristics, showcasing the classic aesthetic of the era. Thanks to its stone-based framework, which is fireproof and resistant to pests, the hall has withstood centuries of weathering without collapsing, making it extremely rare.

Historical Significance

The architectural form of the Xu Clan Ancestral Hall of Shinantang reflects the Ming Dynasty’s architectural environmental science and material usage, as well as the clan system and productive forces of the time. Its well-preserved condition and authentic historical elements give it high historical, scientific, and artistic value. The stone beam frames and stone carvings demonstrate exceptional stonework craftsmanship, serving as a rare physical example for studying the stonework construction techniques and customs of the period.

On October 7, 2019, the Xu Clan Ancestral Hall of Shinantang was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Shinantang Village: Shinantang Village…… More details about Shinantang Village ++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Relics Protection Units in Jinhua City

· Sixth Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Relics Protection Units in Zhejiang Province

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units