The Ancestral Hall of the Zhai Clan

The Ancestral Hall of the Zhai Clan

The Ancestral Hall of the Zhai Clan is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

Known as the No. 1 Ancestral Hall in China, the Ancestral Hall of the Zhai Clan is located northeast of Peach Blossom Pool in Jing County. Built during the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, it faces south and features five bays across three courtyards. Modeled after imperial ancestral halls, it is grand in scale, covering a construction area of approximately 3,524 square meters (including auxiliary rooms, the total floor area is 6,700 square meters).

Legend has it that in 1607, a man named Zhai Guoru from the Zhai clan became both a literary and military top imperial scholar, and was appointed by Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty as the Grand General for Suppression. The General was ordered to quell a rebellion in Yunnan. Upon returning victoriously after the mission, he was killed by treacherous officials. To honor his loyalty and contributions to the nation, Emperor Wanli bestowed upon the clan a plaque inscribed with “Hall of Loyalty and Filial Piety,” causing a sensation across southern China. Later, many places attempted to replicate the Zhai Ancestral Hall, but none matched its grandeur.

In front of the hall stand stone pillars, drum-shaped stones, and stone lions. Inside, there is a front hall, an inner courtyard, an ancestral worship hall, and a bedroom building. The foundation is paved with granite, and the structure uses precious woods such as ginkgo, rosewood, and nanmu. Both wooden and stone components feature exquisite carvings. The hall once housed 108 inscribed plaques bestowed by emperors, generals, and local officials. On either side of the ancestral hall are over ten auxiliary rooms used for meetings and supervision. The main gate bears a horizontal plaque reading “Famed Clan of the South,” while the ancestral worship hall displays a red-background, gold-character wooden plaque inscribed with “Hall of Loyalty and Filial Piety.” During ancestral worship ceremonies, the hall could accommodate 108 banquet tables, demonstrating its prominent status.

Many touching stories are associated with the construction of the Zhai Ancestral Hall. Legend says that during the building process, the main beam could not be erected no matter what. One day, a beggar old man came by, begging the craftsmen for food. They refused and even tried to drive him away, but one young craftsman, taking pity on the old man, secretly gave him some food. Seeing the kind-heartedness of the young man, the old man predicted he would achieve great things in the future and gave him an axe. He told the craftsman that whenever he faced a difficult problem, he should knock three times to the east and three times to the west, and the issue would be resolved. When the main beam still wouldn’t fit, the young craftsman, growing anxious, decided to try the old man’s advice. His master said, “If I can’t do it, how could you?” But the young man insisted, so the master let him try. He aligned the tenon and knocked three times to the east as instructed — it fitted. Then he knocked three times to the west — that side fitted too. And just like that, the main beam was successfully erected. Who was that beggar old man? It was Lu Ban in disguise.

In 1997, Mr. Luo Zhewen, then Vice Director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, visited Jing County and praised the Zhai Ancestral Hall as the “No. 1 Ancestral Hall in China,” happily inscribing the plaque himself. The Zhai Ancestral Hall has been featured multiple times on national and provincial TV. In May 1998, the People’s Government of Anhui Province designated it as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit.

Protected area: 50 meters in all directions (east, south, west, north) around the ancestral hall.

Construction control zone: 100 meters in all directions (east, south, west, north) beyond the protected area.