Diyuan Ancestral Hall

Diyuan Ancestral Hall

Diyuan Ancestral Hall is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Diyuan Ancestral Hall is located in Taxia Village, Shuyang Town, Nanjing County, Fujian Province, China, also known as the "Zhang Family Ancestral Temple."

Diyuan Ancestral Hall was first built during the Ming Dynasty, rebuilt in the 25th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1760), and has been renovated many times since. The structure faces southwest, has a single-courtyard layout, and the main hall is built with a post-and-lintel wooden frame, with three bays in both width and depth, and a flush gable roof. It is flanked by wing rooms. In front of the hall lies a crescent-shaped pond, surrounded by a stone-paved area, with 22 stone flagpoles erected around it, each standing 7–10 meters tall. Most of these were erected by clan members who passed the imperial examinations for juren or jinshi during the Qing Dynasty. The main gate features a decorative archway, with the words “Zhang Family Ancestral Temple” inscribed on the front and “Lineage Extending from the West” on the back. Passing through the archway and courtyard leads to the main hall, a two-courtyard ancient structure. Beneath the eaves of the front hall on either side are three clay sculptures of figures from classical Chinese operas. Beyond the corridor lies the "Diyuan Ancestral Hall" main hall. At the center of the hall hangs a large horizontal plaque inscribed with three gilded characters: “Diyuan Ancestral Hall.” Along the central wall of the hall is a grand ancestral shrine, enshrining the spirit tablets of generations of ancestors. On either side of the main hall are positioned a drum on the left and a bell on the right. Additionally, there are four wing rooms on each side.

Diyuan Ancestral Hall houses a copy of the "Genealogy of the Zhang Clan," which is said to have been funded and printed by Zhang Shunchou, a descendant of the Zhang family residing in Singapore. The genealogy is over 500 pages thick, richly illustrated with 10 drawings, 26 inscriptions and dedications, as well as prefaces and colophons. According to the genealogy, the Zhang descendants have multiplied through 24 generations. The fourth son of the eighth generation, named Wenxian, and the second son of the twelfth generation, successively migrated to Taiwan. Today, descendants of the Zhang family can be found in Tainan, Taichung, Taipei, Keelung, and Hualien.

Descendants of Zhang Shigan, who settled in Tainan, have not forgotten their roots. They have donated funds twice to renovate the ancestral home in their place of origin and to rebuild Diyuan Ancestral Hall. Moreover, following the model of the Diyuan Ancestral Hall in Taxia, they also constructed a Diyuan Ancestral Hall in Tainan as a memorial.

In 2006, Diyuan Ancestral Hall, as an ancient Qing Dynasty structure, was included in the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Location of the Attraction

Taxia Village, Shuyang Town, Nanjing County, Fujian Province

Taxia Village: Taxia Village…… Detailed information about Taxia Village++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units