San Diao Museum (Zhou Clan Ancestral Hall)

San Diao Museum (Zhou Clan Ancestral Hall)

The San Diao Museum (Zhou Clan Ancestral Hall) is a cultural heritage site protected by Anhui Province.

Huizhou has always placed great importance on ancestral halls and ancestral worship. This is a concrete expression of "cherishing the memory of ancestors" and not forgetting one's roots. Jixi, now a provincial-level historical and cultural city that was once part of ancient Huizhou, is full of ancient residences and ancestral halls. The Zhou Clan Ancestral Hall, a provincial-level cultural heritage site located at No. 39 Caojiajing in Jixi County Town, attracts visitors from all over with its unique charm.

The Zhou Clan Ancestral Hall was built during the Ming Dynasty’s Jiajing era and expanded and renovated during the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era. Originally, north of the main hall there were the Lianxi Academy, Osmanthus Hall, Rui’er Ancestral Hall, and Special Sacrifice Hall; to the south of the ancestral hall was the Wenchang Pavilion. However, due to historical reasons, none of these structures remain today.

The Zhou Clan Ancestral Hall consists of seven major parts: the screen wall, gate tower, courtyard, corridors, main hall, another courtyard, and the bedroom. The bedroom has since been converted into a bungalow by later generations. The current building area is 1,156 square meters. The Zhou Clan Ancestral Hall is grand in scale and impressive in appearance. The gate tower features a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, spanning seven bays in width and two bays in depth.

Upon entering the Zhou Clan Ancestral Hall and looking up, you will see a carved relief of a carp leaping through the dragon gate on the wooden lintel — a reflection of the ancestors’ pursuit of beauty and ambition. The next lintel is carved with an image of the Three Stars of Blessing, Rank, and Longevity. Looking down, the shallow reliefs of flowers and birds on the Sumeru pedestal are vivid and unique, making you feel as if you’ve entered a world of blossoms and birds. On both sides of the ceremonial gate stand stone drums, with a plaque reading “Zhou Clan Ancestral Hall” hanging above. Behind the gate tower is a courtyard, with a central pathway leading to the main hall, paved on both sides with bluestone slabs. The corridors are five bays wide and one bay deep. The main hall is five bays wide and four bays deep, featuring a flush gable roof, bracket sets extending beyond the eaves, and large, exquisitely crafted materials. Above the central bay hangs a plaque reading “Dao Guo Shi Jia” (The Exemplary Family of the Dao State). Every component—from the beam supports and flat tray brackets to the spine rafters and spandrel brackets—is either carved or engraved, with simple yet powerful knife work and bold, vigorous lines. The stone balustrade in the middle courtyard is a true masterpiece of stone carving, depicting scenes such as the phoenix facing the sun, pine and crane symbolizing longevity, azaleas singing to plum blossoms, and peonies representing wealth and honor. Each piece is exquisitely crafted and lifelike, making visitors linger in admiration. The rear section of the ancestral hall presents yet another scene: the stone balustrades are finely carved with vases of diverse shapes and competing floral arrangements, expressing the ancestors’ longing for a peaceful life as splendid as blooming flowers.

The Zhou Clan Ancestral Hall, renowned for its wood and stone carvings, is itself a magnificent and exquisite work of art. Based on this structure, Anhui Province’s first San Diao Museum was established and officially opened to the public in 1997. The museum has collected fine examples of brick, wood, and stone carvings from Huizhou folk culture. Here, you can see the bold and vigorous carvings from the Ming Dynasty, the delicate and lifelike works from the Qing Dynasty, and even marvel at the exceptional wood carving masterpiece, the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars. If you have the chance to visit the San Diao Museum, it will surely be a feast for your eyes and highly enlightening.

In May 1998, the Zhou Clan Ancestral Hall was designated as a provincial-level cultural heritage site by the Anhui Provincial Government.

Address: No. 39 Caojiajing, Liang’an Road, Huayang Town, Jixi County

Huayang Town: Huayang Town is a historic town with a 2,000-year history. It is now the seat of Jixi County Government and serves 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. Huayang Town enjoys convenient transportation. Located along the north-south thoroughfare in the hinterland of southern Anhui, it has long enjoyed the reputation of being “connected to Jinling on the left and Hangzhou on the right.” Today, the Anhui–Jiangxi Railway and Yihuang Highway run north to south through the town. The railway station within the jurisdiction is a second-class station, and it is connected to the Huihang Expressway... More details about Huayang Town++