Ancestral Hall of the Yun Family and the Chastity Archway with Brick Carvings of Scenes from "The Palace of Eternal Youth"

Ancestral Hall of the Yun Family and the Chastity Archway with Brick Carvings of Scenes from "The Palace of Eternal Youth"

The Ancestral Hall of the Yun Family and the Chastity Archway with Brick Carvings of Scenes from "The Palace of Eternal Youth" is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

The Ancestral Hall of the Yun Family and the Chastity Archway with Brick Carvings of Scenes from "The Palace of Eternal Youth" are located beside the ancestral hall in Hougang Village, Qiushan Town, Guangde County.

The Yun family originally migrated from Shaanxi to Guangde during the military turmoil at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, settling and establishing their home at Sanchikou by the Wanliangxi River. Known for their scholarly traditions and producing many talented individuals, the family saw numerous members enter officialdom through imperial examinations starting from the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty, quickly rising as a prominent clan in Tongchuan. To expand and consolidate their family influence, they built this complex. It originally had two courtyards, but the rear section was burned down during the military upheavals of the Xianfeng and Tongzhi eras of the Qing Dynasty. The surviving front hall has a five-bay width, with a robust structure, grand and lofty spaces, featuring intricate carvings and black lacquer finishes, exuding an imposing aura. On both sides of the front eaves of the main hall stand two brick-carved chastity archways adorned with scenes from "The Palace of Eternal Youth" and mythological stories. Erected in the 22nd year of the Jiaqing reign (1817) by high-ranking officials of the central government and local authorities to honor Chen and Lü, wives of the Yun family, these archways not only symbolize the feudal ethical codes and patriarchal system but also preserve the stage artistry of the original performances of "The Palace of Eternal Youth."

Protected area: Beyond the building itself, the boundary extends east to the village road (boundary markers 2–3), south to the open space of the ancestral hall group (boundary markers 4–10), west to the open space of the ancestral hall group (boundary markers 10–12), and north to the residence of Zhou Lunhua and the sidewalk (boundary markers 12–16).

Construction control zone: East to the paddy field 50 meters beyond the sidewalk (boundary markers 2–3), south to the edge of the pond 50 meters beyond boundary markers 4–10, west to the west gable wall of the former electric substation 50 meters beyond boundary markers 10–12, and north to the sidewalk 20 meters beyond the north gable wall of Zhou Lunhua’s residence.

Qiushan Town: Qiushan Town is located in the northern part of Guangde County. It borders Xinhang Town to the east, Taizhou Town to the south, Shijie Town and Langxi County’s Taocheng Town and Lingda Township to the west, and neighbors Liyang City of Jiangsu Province to the north. The town government is headquartered in Mentang, approximately 13 kilometers from the county seat. Covering a total area of 328 square kilometers, it is one of the county's key grain and oil production areas, comprising 18 administrative villages with a total population of 74,000.

In July 1997, it was designated as a provincial pilot town for comprehensive small-town reforms. In 1999, it was listed among the province’s 195 key towns, with complete infrastructure. In 2006, Nanyang, Shicun... Detailed information about Qiushan Town++