The Starlight Shen Clan Ancestral Hall (Shen Guangwen Memorial Hall)

The Starlight Shen Clan Ancestral Hall (Shen Guangwen Memorial Hall)

The Starlight Shen Clan Ancestral Hall (Shen Guangwen Memorial Hall) is a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Unit.

The Shen Clan Ancestral Hall (Shen Guangwen Memorial Hall) is located in Xingguang Village, Shiqi Subdistrict, Haishu District. On September 3, 1992, it was designated as a district-level cultural heritage protection unit.

The ancestral hall is located in the center of the street, surrounded by historical sites such as Baoyou Temple, Quyuan Archway, Rui Guang Tower, and Changle Temple. It has black walls and blue tiles, with a jet-black painted gate. The main entrance faces west, and the gatehouse features a tiled ridge shaped like an upturned ingot, with auspicious patterns carved at both ends. The black-edged white walls are embedded with three-dimensional seal script reading “Shen Clan Ancestral Hall.” Originally, the ancestral hall consisted of a front gate, central hall, and main hall, spanning a total depth of 28.4 meters and a width of 12.90 meters. Currently, the front gate and central hall have been demolished. Their flooring has been replaced by stone slabs, stones, or converted into green space. The only remaining structure is the main hall, a three-bay hip-and-gable building with a total depth of 9.30 meters. Its central section features a raised-beam structure supported by 18 pillars. The bases of the first two pillars in the middle are made of bluestone carved into lotus shapes, while the others are of conventional design. The main hall’s roof ridge is prominent, with a brick carving of the character “福” (blessing) and decorative patterns in the center. The high upturned eaves are adorned with carvings of evergreen plants and sunflowers. At the center of the hall stands a 3-meter-tall granite statue of Shen Guangwen. The statue, holding a scroll, depicts him standing firmly and solemnly atop a sea reef, gazing into the distance with a look that conveys “gazing at the moon over a thousand miles from home, thinking of loved ones across the waters…” and “when a boat meets a northerner, I ask about childhood memories,” expressing his deep patriotism and nostalgia for his homeland.

The Shen Clan Ancestral Hall authentically reflects the learning and living environment of Shen Guangwen. Together with Taiwan’s Wensheng Academy, Guangwen Bridge, Si’an Bridge, and the site of Shen Guangwen’s teaching location, it systematically portrays the illustrious and immortal life journey of Master Shen Guangwen. These historic sites serve as places for people on both sides of the strait to jointly honor their predecessors and educate future generations, carrying the same significance. As they commemorate this shared historical figure, the hearts of people on both sides of the strait are also connected.

Establishing a memorial site in Shen Guangwen’s hometown also helps the people of Taiwan in their pursuit of cultural ancestry and tracing their cultural roots. It facilitates cultural exchanges across the Taiwan Strait and strengthens the friendship between the people on both sides.

Shen Guangwen (1612–1688), also known as Wenkai or Si’an, later styled himself as the “Old Man of Ningbo” in his later years, was a native of Shen’gu Village, Yueshe, Yin County (now Xingguang Village, Shiqi Town, Haishu District). According to the *Yueshe Shen Family Genealogy*, the Shen family originally migrated south with Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty and settled in Yin. From a young age, he was well-versed in literature and excelled in poetry and prose. In the seventh year of the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty (1627), he was admitted as a doctoral student. In the third year of the Chongzhen era (1630), he placed second in the provincial imperial examination, and in the ninth year, he entered the National Academy in the Southern Capital through the Classics Examination. In the twelfth year, he signed the *Public Appeal Against Chaos in the Southern Capital*, exposing the treasonous acts of Ruan Dacheng and others. In the second year of the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1645), he participated in the Battle of the Qiantang River and was appointed as a Grand Master of the Imperial Sacrificial Office... More details about Shen Guangwen ++

Shiqi Subdistrict: Located in the southern suburbs of Ningbo, a coastal open city in China's Zhejiang Province, Shiqi Subdistrict in Yinzhou District is adjacent to the new South Bus Station of Ningbo. The area houses Ningbo International Airport and the Ningbo Textile and Garment City market. It is traversed by key transportation routes including the Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway, Yongjin Expressway, Provincial Highway 214, Yin County Avenue, Yinzhou Avenue, and the airport专用 highway, making it an important “image window” for Ningbo. The subdistrict covers an area of 34 square kilometers (including 9.3 square kilometers of built-up area), and administers 16 administrative villages, 3 neighborhood committees, and 1 fishing cooperative. By the end of 2005, the subdistrict had a total resident population of 4.9... More details about Shiqi Subdistrict ++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units