Shangzhang Li Clan Ancestral Hall

Shangzhang Li Clan Ancestral Hall

The Shangzhang Li Clan Ancestral Hall is a national key cultural relics protection unit.

Era: Qing Dynasty

Address: Shangzhang Village, Shaji Township, Qingyang County, Chizhou City, Anhui Province.

The ancestral hall is situated at the foot of Huangmeng Ridge, where Qingyang borders Huangshan, facing south with its back to the north. It covers a construction area of 887 m². It is a provincial-level key cultural relics protection unit. According to the "Inscription on the Reconstruction of the Grand Ancestral Hall," this hall was first built during the Ming Dynasty, then rebuilt in the 46th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1781) and completed in the 4th year of the Jiaqing reign (1799), taking twenty years in total. Its grand construction project, coupled with its exquisite carving craftsmanship, has always been widely praised. Most notably, it features finely crafted wood carvings, stone carvings, and brick carvings. The front of the ancestral hall has three gates, with the central one being the largest. On both sides are black marble slabs that people can sit astride, hence they are also called “drum stones.” The drum gate is carved with a “lion playing with a ball” motif. Stepping up the stairs through the gate and entering the hall, you will find a tall and spacious four-sided open courtyard with round wooden pillars thick enough to be embraced and square stone pillars supporting the beams. To the north is a hall named “Xulun Hall,” which serves as a place for clan members to gather and conduct discussions. Opposite it is a screen wall, on which the full text of the “Family Precepts” written by the Li family’s renowned scholar Zhuhuosheng is engraved. Although the text contains strong Confucian teachings aimed at instructing descendants, reading it in its entirety still offers insights worth learning from by later generations. The inscriptions feature upright characters, vigorous strokes, and fine carving work.

Walking into the middle rear hall, you will find a three-story pavilion-style building called the “Spirit Chamber.” Inside, it houses the spirit tablets of the Li ancestors. The architectural design of the chamber is exquisitely beautiful. With upturned eaves, carved beams and painted rafters, jade railings, and lion-headed handrails, it resembles an artistic palace. The long stone slabs inlaid into the walls, such as “Dragon Playing with Water,” “Magpie on Plum Blossom,” “Fisherman, Woodcutter, Farmer, and Scholar,” as well as folk stories like “Bao Gong Executes Bao Mian,” “Legend of the White Snake,” and “Battle of Changban Slope,” are vivid and lifelike in both form and expression. Several hanging plaques once adorned the space, but many have been severely damaged due to the Cultural Revolution and long-term insufficient preservation, leaving only a few that remain relatively well-preserved. These better-preserved plaques are now housed in the county museum.

Every aspect of this ancestral hall’s architecture—from its foundation and materials to its structural layout—has been meticulously designed. The structure is a brick-and-wood building with small tiles and arched rafters. On the western side, there is a fireproof parapet wall. The three-story rear hall and the central Spirit Chamber are connected, with hidden courtyards on both the eastern and western sides specifically designed for roof drainage. This unique design also shows considerable ingenuity.

Protected Area: 2 meters outside the foundation of both east and west gable walls; 20 meters outside the foundation of the southern eave wall; and 5 meters outside the foundation of the northern eave wall.

Construction Control Zone: Outside the protected area, extending 13 meters north to the shoreline of the pond, 13 meters east and west, and 10 meters north.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units