The Grand Kong Ancestral Hall

The Grand Kong Ancestral Hall

The Grand Kong Ancestral Hall is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level of Anhui Province.

The Grand Kong Ancestral Hall was built by Kong Huaqing as a clan temple for fellow villagers. It is also a relatively complete set of late Qing Dynasty Jianghuai-style communal ancestral buildings, boasting over 100 years of history. In the early 1980s, the hall was designated as a municipal-level cultural heritage site by the Hefei Municipal Government, and in 2004, it was further recognized as a provincial-level cultural heritage site.

The entire ancestral hall faces south and features a brick-and-wood structure. The timber used is thick and robust, giving the building an elegant and rustic appearance. Originally, the hall housed over 60 rooms, all constructed in the classic Qing Dynasty architectural style—blue bricks, red walls, cylindrical tiles, ornately carved beams and painted rafters, and entirely covered in Suzhou-style polychrome paintings. Its layout is characterized by a symmetrical courtyard arrangement with clearly defined primary and secondary sections, comprising the main gate tower, the library building, the ancestral hall, and wing rooms on both sides. The library building, made entirely of wood, stands approximately 30 meters tall with three rooms on each of its two floors. Its design resembles that of the Dacheng Hall in Qufu's Confucius Temple in Shandong, exhibiting grandeur and majesty. This ancestral hall is a rare example in the Hefei area of architecture with a strong northern Chinese style, rich in historical, artistic, scientific, and commemorative value.

Unfortunately, due to the passage of time and damage from war, the once-glorious Grand Kong Ancestral Hall was repurposed over the years as a storage room, a grain station, and an office space. Eventually, even its iconic structure—the library building—collapsed. Starting from the end of 2006, the Hefei Municipal Government invested over 2 million yuan to comprehensively renovate the remaining 700-plus square meters of the ancestral hall. Restoration efforts included rebuilding the east and west side halls of the main gate, the east side corridor, the west auxiliary rooms, as well as the surrounding walls and courtyard landscaping. After a year of restoration, the long-missed Grand Kong Ancestral Hall was finally restored to its former glory. This Kong family temple, located in Xuetang Village, Dawei Township, Baohe District, is the only well-preserved, largest in scale, and highest in standard ancestral hall in the Hefei area. Moreover, it also features the highest-grade and most elaborate colored paintings among existing ancient buildings in Hefei.

Aiming to build an “Anhui Confucius Mansion” and promote Confucian culture, the establishment of the Grand Kong Ancestral Hall will greatly enhance the cultural essence of Dawei rural tourism, enrich its offerings, and elevate its tourism image.

Protected Area: Beyond the main structure, extending 10 meters outward to the east, south, and north, and to the eastern red line of Chongqing Road to the west, covering a total area of 0.66 hectares.

Construction Control Zone: Beyond the protected area, extending to the western red line of Liaoning Road to the east, the southern red line of Xi’an Road to the north, the northern red line of the Yellow River Road to the south, and aligned with the protected area to the west.

Xuetang Village: Located southwest of Dawei Town Government, Xuetang Village borders the vast Dawei farmland area to the east and connects with Bahe Industrial Zone and Renmin Street to the west. It enjoys a superior geographical location and convenient transportation.

The village currently has four members on its village committee and three hired staff. It administers four natural settlements: Xuetang, Wujiang, Liuying, and Liwan, with a total of 582 households, 15 villager groups, and a population of 1,914, including 1,688 agricultural residents and 226 non-agricultural residents.

Facilities include one basketball court, one table tennis court, and a 150-square-meter village-level health... More details about Xuetang Village++