Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu

Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu

The Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

Jiangcun Village in Baidi Town, Jingde County, built in the late Sui and early Tang dynasties, is an ancient village with a history of 1,300 years. It is located near National Highway 205 at the eastern foot of Huangshan Mountain, more than 30 kilometers from the Huangshan Scenic Area. Though it has weathered the vicissitudes of time and experienced periods of prosperity and decline, the grand ancient ancestral halls, towering memorial archways, dense old houses, and winding old streets can still be seen. The ancestral halls of Jiangcun are representative of traditional Huizhou architectural craftsmanship, with their style fully showcasing the characteristics of ancient Huizhou architecture.

Historically, Jiangcun once had nine ancestral halls built, including one for the Jiang family in general, with the rest all belonging to the Jiang clan. These were the Ancestral Hall of Shao, the Jiang Clan Ancestral Hall, the Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu, the Ancestral Hall of the Filial Son, the Ancestral Hall of Wenxing, the Ancestral Hall of Yixing, the Ancestral Hall of Shengzu, and the Ancestral Hall of Congzheng—eight in total—arranged according to the proximity of lineage and branch relationships. In terms of structure, some evolved from ancestors’ former residences, some were modeled after Zhu Xi’s Family Rituals, some stood independently from living quarters, and others were used for worshipping ancestors at home. Regarding the relationship between ancestral halls and clans, there were main clan halls, branch halls, and unified ancestral halls for various branches that had migrated elsewhere. As for architectural styles, there were two types: those with interior courtyards (tiānjǐng shì) and those with corridor-style courtyards (lángyuàn shì). The proliferation of ancestral halls in Jiangcun went hand in hand with the village’s economic development. By the mid-Ming Dynasty, Jiangcun flourished, with a population reaching 80,000, becoming the birthplace of hundreds of successful imperial examination candidates, doctoral degree holders, and scholars. Consequently, families that “lived in wealth and abundance, owned vast fields, and stored grain in great quantities,” as well as those who “rose from commerce, amassing millions in fortune,” invested heavily in expanding clan fields and ancestral properties, promoting ancestral heritage, reclaiming mountains and rivers, building roads and bridges, constructing temples and archways, founding academies and schools—all contributing to a uniquely prosperous communal landscape. Due to historical wars and disasters, only three of the original nine ancestral halls in Jiangcun remain today: the Jiang Clan Ancestral Hall, the Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu, and the Ancestral Hall of the Filial Son. This section focuses on the representative Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu, once hailed as a marvel.

“The Jiang Ancestral Hall stands proudly at the foot of Huangshan; morning sunlight and rosy clouds illuminate its halls. Exquisitely carved with delicate finesse, it was the finest of Huizhou architecture in the Ming era.” This is a poet’s tribute to the Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu in Jiangcun. Every visitor to Jiangcun is captivated by its majestic presence and grand aura, and awestruck by its exquisite carvings, often pausing in admiration. Indeed, it is truly spectacular and imposing. On May 4, 1998, it was designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit by the Anhui Provincial Government. This ancestral hall is the most visually striking example of Ming-era Huizhou architecture among Jiangcun’s tourist attractions. On May 21, 2001, after inspecting Huangshan, Comrade Jiang Zemin made a special trip to Jiangcun to visit this hall and delivered an important speech. The Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu is an important symbol of the ancient Jiangcun village and one of its major scenic highlights. Since Jiangcun opened to tourism, every central, provincial, and local leader, as well as domestic and international scholars, celebrities, and tourists who have visited Jiangcun, have taken commemorative photos with the Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu. With the increasing number of visitors from around the world, its fame has spread far and wide.

The Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu is also known as the Sixth Branch Ancestral Hall or the Ancestral Hall of Jiyuan. Located in the eastern part of the village and facing west, it was dedicated to Jiang Bo, courtesy name Jiyuan, the 48th-generation Ming Dynasty imperial examination graduate of the Jiang clan. Jiang Bo, also known as Jiang Pu, was a successful candidate in the imperial examinations of the Ming Dynasty—Jiaochen in the Chenghua era and Jinshi in the Hongzhi era of the Yiniu year. He shared an examination cohort with the famed talented scholar Tang Bohu. Once during an exam, Tang Bohu was falsely accused of cheating and expelled from the examination hall for offending the examiner. Jiang Pu and others protested against the injustice and withdrew from the exam together. Later, when Tang Bohu visited Jiangcun, he painted portraits of Jiang Pu and his wife as souvenirs. This ancestral painting of the Jiang family is the most treasured artifact in the Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu. Despite being over 500 years old, it remains radiant and vivid as if new. At the time, Jiang Pu served as a Confucian instructor in Xiaochuan County, Henan—a position equivalent to the seventh rank. Soon after, he resigned from office to live in seclusion, building the Songyun Study in Jiangcun where he read, taught his children, and pursued scholarly research. Throughout his life, Jiang Pu valued righteousness over wealth and was known for his generosity and philanthropy. Legend has it that Xu Guo, a grand secretary from Xu Village in She County, came from a poor family in his youth and once sold himself as a servant to the Jiang family. Recognizing Xu’s intelligence, Jiang Pu supported his education until he became a successful scholar, eventually rising to become a pillar of the nation. Twenty years after Jiang Bo’s death, his sons, Wen Zhong and Wen Chang, achieved success and status, and petitioned the imperial court to posthumously confer upon Jiang Bo the title of Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture—an official rank equivalent to the fifth grade. In honor of this, the clan constructed this grand and imposing Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu, ensuring that he would forever receive ancestral worship.

The Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu currently displays precious cultural relics, historical documents, celebrity photographs, calligraphy, and paintings, including the *Golden Turtle Jiang Clan Genealogy* and a couplet by Hu Shi. The total construction area of the Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu is 733 square meters. The entire structure is an ancient building made of brick, wood, and stone, integrating the three carving arts—brick, wood, and stone. The ancestral hall features upturned eaves, carved beams, and painted rafters, exhibiting distinct architectural characteristics of the Ming Dynasty. Especially notable are the numerous wooden carvings on components such as main beams, beam brackets, beam hooks, lintels, struts, spandrels, and door lintels, which showcase exquisite craftsmanship in openwork carving, relief carving, and embossed carving, possessing extremely high artistic value. The brick carvings are also distinctive, with exquisitely carved designs on the gate tower depicting several opera scenes—the central one being *Guo Yi’s Birthday Celebration*, the left *Drunken Beating of the Princess*, and the right *Guan Yu’s Passage Through Five Passes and Slaying of Six Generals*. The double doors of the grand ceremonial gate are painted with the colorful door gods Yu Chigong and Qin Shubao, who faithfully guard the Jiang clan day and night, ensuring peace year after year. The roof ridge of the ancestral hall is adorned with a mythical sea turtle (áoyú), symbolizing success in imperial examinations and representing a characteristic of the Golden Turtle lineage of the Jiang family. The central gourd-shaped finial and the triangular prongs and celestial dog above it serve to ward off evil spirits, with their lifelike forms and playful details. Below is a mural featuring three elderly figures representing the Three Star Gods of “Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity” (Fú, Lù, Shòu), symbolizing good fortune shining down—a representation of the Jiang ancestors’ aspirations for a better life. The mural, despite being 500 years old, remains as vivid as ever, making it a unique highlight of Jiangcun. According to ancient regulations, ancestral halls could only be built with five bays if the family had members of the fifth rank or higher; otherwise, they were limited to three bays. Although Jiang Bo never attained the fifth rank during his lifetime, the title was conferred posthumously. Therefore, the ancestral hall appears to have three bays from the outside but is designed with the structure of five bays, consisting of three bays and two interior courtyards. The entire hall has 36 round wooden pillars, with 22 square granite pillars along the courtyard edges to ensure they remain rot-free for centuries.

The first section of the Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu is the gate tower; the second section is called the Hall of Worship (Xiǎngtáng), which is relatively spacious and serves as the main venue for family discussions; the third section is called the Sleeping Hall (Qǐntáng), dedicated to enshrining ancestral tablets.

In mid-June 1998, Jiang Zean, Chairman and General Manager of Shanghai Jiangtao Industrial Co., Ltd., visited the ancestral hall and bowed six times to his ancestors. He also presented a copy of the Jiang family genealogy spanning nearly five generations to Jiangcun, inscribed with the words: “Tracing our roots and honoring our origins, remembering the source of our water.”

On September 15, 1994, — visited Jiangcun and inspected the Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu; on September 5, 1995, Peng Jianming, a director of literary programs at China Central Television, visited Jiangcun and filmed the Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu.

On May 21, 2001, Comrade Jiang Zemin visited Jiangcun and also inspected the Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu. Jiang Zemin carefully examined the grand architecture and the exquisitely carved beams and pillars of the Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu.

Jiangcun Tourism Company has invested substantial funds to restore the Ancestral Hall of Marquis Pu to its original appearance. It has now regained its former majesty, welcoming an increasing number of domestic and international tourists.

Jiangcun Village: Jiangcun has 613 households, 2,237 residents, and 21 villager groups. Though named Jiangcun, it is not located by a river or lake—it is a mountain-hidden village. Jiangcun is situated within Baidi Town, Jingde County, and is just 37 kilometers from the Huangshan Scenic Area. Jiangcun boasts abundant natural and cultural landscapes and is renowned for the many notable figures it has produced and the well-preserved former residences of these celebrities.

The village’s two committees consist of five members—three Party committee members, with Jiang Changshui serving as the Party branch secretary. The village has 77 Party members, including 11 female members, organized under four Party branches and three Party subgroups… More detailed information about Jiangcun Village++