The Lu Family Ancestral Hall

The Lu Family Ancestral Hall

The Lu Family Ancestral Hall is a cultural heritage site protected by Haishu District.

The Lu Family Ancestral Hall is a Qing Dynasty structure with three bays in width. The central bay features a raised-beam construction, while the side bays use a post-and-lintel system. It adopts a unique beam-frame structure found in Zhejiang: flower-shaped brackets are placed atop the five-rafter beam, intersecting with the lower ends of paired beams used in tandem. The tops of the pillars are adorned with butterfly-shaped wooden elements, from which hanging flower-basket-like brackets dangle. On either side of the front corridor inside the hall, the gable walls each feature a stone stele, with the stele head carved with the design of two dragons playing with a pearl. It holds significant reference value for the study of Qing Dynasty brick-and-timber structures.

The Ningbo-based Lu family settled here during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty after moving from Dinghai, but had declined by the end of the Qing Dynasty. A notable descendant of the Lu family was Lu Zhi, who established the Baojing Lou, a renowned library. The Lu Family Ancestral Hall serves as the ancestral temple of one of the family’s branches.