Stone lions and carved stone railings at the Wenchang Pavilion of the Hu Ancestral Hall

The stone lions and carved stone railings at the Wenchang Pavilion of the Hu Ancestral Hall

The stone lions and carved stone railings at the Wenchang Pavilion of the Hu Ancestral Hall are a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

The stone lions and carved stone railings at the Wenchang Pavilion of the Hu Ancestral Hall

Located within the Party School of the County Committee, just outside the north gate of Huayang Town, Jixi County. The Wenchang Pavilion was originally part of the Hu Family Ancestral Hall. The ancestral hall has since been demolished, leaving only the Wenchang Pavilion—which was used specifically for storing genealogical records, manuscripts, and for worshipping the Deity of Literature, Wenchang—and some stone carvings. The Wenchang Pavilion faces west and is three bays wide with a depth of three bays, covering an area of 100 square meters. It was first built in the 22nd year of the Longqing era of the Ming Dynasty (1569). The existing structure was constructed during the Qing Dynasty. At the original gate tower and courtyard of the Hu Family Ancestral Hall, a pair of stone lions, eight carved stone railings, and ten stone pillars are preserved. The green stone round-carved lions have fierce expressions and imposing stances. The tops of the pillars are adorned with “floral clusters,” while the railings are bordered with meander patterns, featuring images such as pine and crane symbolizing longevity, phoenixes singing in duet, magpies chirping among plum blossoms, a mother hen feeding her chicks, swallows gathering on red plum branches, and thrushes perched on tree limbs. The carvings are rich in imagery and lifelike. In 1986, it was designated as a county-level cultural relic protection unit under approval document Jizheng [1986] No. 128; in 2016, it was listed as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit under approval document Xuanzheng Mi [2016] No. 219.

Huayang Town: Huayang Town is a historic town with a 2,000-year history and currently serves as the seat of the Jixi County government, functioning as the political, economic, and cultural center of the county. The town administers 5 community neighborhood committees and 4 village committees, covering an area of 83 square kilometers with a population of 43,000. It has 490 hectares of arable land, including 337 hectares of paddy fields.

1. Convenient transportation in Huayang. Situated along the north-south thoroughfare in the inland region of southern Anhui, Huayang enjoys convenient transport and has long been known as “linked to Jinling on the left and to Hangzhou on the right.” Today, the Wanxi Railway and Yihuang Highway run north to south through the town. The local train station is a second-class station, and it is connected to the Huihang Expressway... More detailed information about Huayang Town++