Wu Wenjian Ancestral Hall

Wu Wenjian Ancestral Hall

Wu Wenjian Ancestral Hall is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Name: Wu Wenjian Ancestral Hall

Address: Yueshan Village, Jushui Township, Qingyuan County

Year Built: Originally constructed in the 34th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1606), rebuilt in the 5th year of the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty (1666)

Family/Origin: The Wu family of Yueshan Village

Wu Wenjian Ancestral Hall is located at the entrance of Yueshan Village, Jushui Township, Qingyuan County, facing the Laifeng Bridge, nestled against the mountain and beside the water. “Wenjian” refers to Wu Zhu, an ancestor of the Wu family, who was posthumously honored by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty with the title “Master Wenjian.” To commemorate this esteemed forebear, descendants built the ancestral hall. The hall has three courtyards and five bays, consisting of a main gate tower, the main hall, and the rear hall. The overall layout is rectangular, measuring 33.4 meters in length and 17.4 meters in width. The entire building is solemn and classic in design, as well as stately and graceful.

Originally built in the 34th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1606), it was later destroyed in warfare. It was subsequently reconstructed through donations by clan members, with its pillars erected in the 11th year of the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1654) and completed in the 5th year of the Kangxi era (1666). The hall faces northwest and is situated southeast, covering an area of about 660 square meters. It sits in front of a stream and behind a mountain, with three main sections including the gate tower, the main hall, and the rear hall, each separated by courtyards and passageways. The gate tower is three bays wide and two bays deep, with double-eave hip-and-gable roofs supported by three posts on the front and back. The eaves are surrounded by dougong brackets. The main hall is five bays wide and six bays deep, with a hanging hip roof. The central bay uses a reduced-column construction method and a post-and-lintel beam frame, while the side bays use a mixed post-and-lintel and through-tenon beam frame. The rear hall is built along the slope, with a height difference of 3.56 meters from the main hall, and is accessed via stairways on both sides. The structure of the rear hall is relatively simple, being five bays wide and four bays deep, with an altar in the central bay holding ancestral tablets, and a maidenhair railing between the front porch columns. Its dougong brackets and beam frame structures are quite unique, featuring strong local characteristics and architectural value.

A plaque inscribed with “Wu Wenjian Ancestral Hall” hangs above the main gate, flanked by plaques reading “Scholarly Tradition” and “Martial Prowess.” On the sides are also inscriptions such as “Family of Three Renunciations” and “Nobility of Yanling.”

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

Attraction Location

Yueshan Village (Jushui Township), Qingyuan County, Lishui City

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units