Ancestral Hall of the He Clan

Ancestral Hall of the He Clan

The Ancestral Hall of the He Clan is a cultural tourism attraction.

An ancestral hall, also known as an ancestral temple or family temple, serves as a place of reverence for forebears. The Ancestral Hall of the He Clan in Guodong Village, Wuyi County, stands out as one of the most prominent Ming Dynasty structures among the village’s many cultural relics and historic sites. It was built in the 37th year of the Wanli reign during the Ming Dynasty (1609). According to the Jiaying County Annals of Wuyi, the county had 126 ancestral halls in total, among which over 10 were built before the Ming Dynasty with confirmed construction dates. Of these, very few remain well-preserved today, making the Ancestral Hall of the He Clan in Guodong a relatively intact and representative example with significant historical and cultural value.

Located in Guoxia Village, the Ancestral Hall of the He Clan covers an area of 1,060 square meters, with a building floor space of 1,200 square meters. The hall is divided into three sections: the front gate, the main hall, and the rear hall. The front gate (front hall) consists of three large central rooms, each flanked by two wing rooms on the east and west sides; the main hall includes five large rooms along with east and west corridors, with three wing rooms on each side; the rear hall has five rooms along with corridors and three wing rooms on each side. In the courtyard in front of the main hall stands a stage platform (commonly referred to as a theater stage), measuring 5.8 meters in width from the front and 6.2 meters in width from the side, with a total area of 36 square meters. Next to the gate of the hall’s porch are a pair of 90-centimeter-diameter drum-shaped stones (commonly called “door pairs”), including their stone bases, standing a total height of 1.76 meters. Above the entrance hangs a white plaque inscribed with four bold characters: “源泓派浩” (Source Vast, Lineage Grand), bestowed in the 1643 year of the Chongzhen reign by Geng Jingzhong, the hereditary Prince of Jingnan and Governor of Zhejiang during the Ming Dynasty. Each of the two large doors is painted with colorful door gods, and the wooden couplet on either side of the door reads: “Enter the hall with reverence, uphold virtue and joyfully follow moral principles.” Above the doorway, the wall features prominently carved regular-script characters reading “He Clan Ancestral Hall” in a solemn and dignified style.

The theater stage features upturned eaves and flying rafters, with the tips of the front eaves adorned with clay sculptures of a mythical turtle-dragon diving into the sea, while those on the roof ridges depict upside-down flying dragons. The brackets and spandrels of the stage’s pillars and beams are intricately carved. At the center of the stage is a double-decked, eight-sided caisson ceiling that still retains Ming Dynasty-era painted designs of flowers, birds, and figures. The back wall of the stage features a large-scale mural depicting Emperor Tang Xuanzong’s visit to the Moon Palace, illustrating the famous Taoist master Ye Fashan recounting events following the death of Yang Guifei to Emperor Xuanzong.

A plaque inscribed with the three characters “清明乐” (Celebration of Pure Brightness) hangs prominently above. The four wooden pillars at the front and rear of the stage are engraved with two pairs of couplets. The front pillar couplet reads: “Eternal reunion, full blessings as five stars align; springtime prosperity, double reds of the hundred sons painting.” The rear pillar couplet reads: “Do not perform old tales in vain; strive instead to bring glory to ancestors.” Along the connecting beam hangs a small fan-shaped plaque inscribed with the two characters “佾庭” (Ritual Court). The entire stage is magnificent and splendid, yet simple and elegant—a rare relic of Ming Dynasty culture.

The Ancestral Hall of the He Clan holds ancestral worship ceremonies twice a year, in spring and autumn (on the 15th day of the second and eighth lunar months). The ceremonies follow ancient protocols, being grand, solemn, and dignified. Participants in the rituals and the subsequent communal feast are limited to individuals who have achieved scholarly honors (graduates of higher elementary school level or above), while commoners (specifically referring to those who never attended school) are only permitted entry upon reaching the age of 70. These strict Confucian and education-oriented rules, combined with the “Confucian Fields and Ancestors” system, served to motivate descendants to prioritize education. Families of even modest means would send their children to study at the Fengchi Academy in the village. As a result, Guodong Village has a long history of producing talented individuals.

The Ancestral Hall of the He Clan has stood for nearly 400 years and has undergone three major renovations—in the Jiayin year of the Qianlong reign, the Xinchou year of the Qianlong reign, and the Gengzi year of the Daoguang reign. More than 150 years have passed since the last renovation. Although the structure remains intact, it shows signs of aging: the facade is worn, the stage is damaged, the walls are marred, the beams and pillars are covered in dust, and the plaques are missing. To preserve this centuries-old cultural relic and enable it to serve a renewed purpose in the modern era—as a site for visitors to explore and study—the elders of Guoxia Village gathered to decide on renovating the Ancestral Hall of the He Clan. They took on the responsibility, with the elderly association overseeing the effort, and carried out restoration work in 1996.

In 1998, during the development of the Guodong scenic tourism area, the Ancestral Hall of the He Clan was highlighted as a key focus, with efforts primarily centered on enhancing its cultural heritage elements. These included: repairing the historic stage; recreating over 40 plaques; turning ancestral couplets passed down through generations into permanent hanging scrolls; producing hanging panels featuring poems written by some ancestors; selecting and displaying stories of ancestors who governed with integrity and served with honesty, presented on imitation bamboo slips; inscribing the He Clan genealogy and the biography of Shuying Gong (courtesy name Gui), the Zhongshun Doctor and Prefect of Changsha, in large characters on the walls; creating display panels showing statistics of officials and scholars from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties in Guodong; and collecting and exhibiting over 100 artifacts related to traditional production and daily life. These additions greatly enriched the cultural depth of the Ancestral Hall of the He Clan in Guodong. The restored and thoughtfully developed ancestral hall attracted investigation and study by Professor Chen Zhihua and Professor Lou Qingxi from Tsinghua University’s Department of Architecture. Professor Lou Qingxi also provided a detailed introduction to the Ancestral Hall of the He Clan in his book Twenty Lectures on Chinese Ancient Architecture.