Huangdian Liu Family’s Four Ancestral Halls

Huangdian Liu Family’s Four Ancestral Halls

The Huangdian Liu Family’s Four Ancestral Halls are listed as Cultural Relics Protection Units of Zhejiang Province.

The Huangdian Liu Family’s Four Ancestral Halls are located in Huangdian Town, Lanxi City, dating back to the Qing Dynasty.

The Liu Family’s Four Ancestral Halls are located in Liujia Administrative Village, Huangdian Town, Lanxi City, and consist of Baixun Hall, Yanyi Hall, Jingcheng Hall, and Yugeng Hall. Among the four ancient ancestral halls, the earliest was built during the Ming Dynasty, while the latest was constructed during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty.

Most villagers in Liujia Village bear the Liu surname. According to the Liu family genealogy, the founding ancestor of the Liu family in Liujia Village was Liu Jurong, a military governor during the Tang Dynasty's Dazhong era. During the Yuan Dynasty, Liu Mengjie relocated here from Shiyuan, Jiande. The village boasts numerous residential buildings and hall structures from the Ming and Qing Dynasties through the Republican era, among which these four ancient ancestral halls are relatively well-preserved. Even more uniquely, Liujia Village still maintains the traditional New Year custom of the imperial procession ceremony for ancestor worship.

Historical records indicate that the Huangdian imperial procession ceremony originated in the mid-Ming Dynasty, flourished in the late Ming and early Qing periods, and has a history of several hundred years. Liujia Village alone possesses 128 sets of imperial procession items, all over a century old—older even than the village’s oldest residents. Every year, as the old year gives way to the new, members of the Liu clan gather together because of these ancient ancestral halls and time-honored customs. They serve as a spiritual symbol of Liujia Village, carefully safeguarding the imprints of history.

On January 13, 2017, the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province announced it as part of the Seventh Batch of Cultural Relics Protection Units of Zhejiang Province.

Liujia Village: Liujia Village is located approximately 4,000 meters north of the town government seat. It is named after the Liujia Village Committee. The area is hilly, covering a region of 3.14 square kilometers, with 567 mu of arable land, 3,303 mu of mountainous land, and 100 mu of water surface. It administers three natural villages—Liujia, Xiatang, and Xintang—nine villager groups, 436 households, and 1,275 people. The main crop is rice, supplemented by rapeseed and fruit, with red-heart plums and citrus as specialty products. Most villagers work outside the village. The village contains cultural relics such as the Gongsheng Archway, Guangyu Hall, and a 400-year-old ancient camphor tree.

Xiatang is located... Detailed information about Liujia Village++

Further reading:

· Seventh Batch of Cultural Relics Protection Units of Zhejiang Province