Ancestral Hall of Wu Huantang

The Ancestral Hall of Wu Huantang

The Ancestral Hall of Wu Huantang is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Ancestral Hall of Wu Huantang

The Ancestral Hall of Wu Huantang is situated to the west of Tianping Village, Litian Township, Qingliu County. It was originally built during the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty and is composed of the main hall (xiangtang), the ceremonial hall (yizhangting), and the ceremonial attire hall (yiguanting). The main hall houses the spirit tablet of Huantang and a plaque inscribed with “Cane at the Circle Bridge.” His given name was Wu Qiwen, his courtesy name Chengzhang, and Huantang was his literary name. He was granted the title of Wenlin Lang (a minor official rank) as an exemplary student of the Imperial College. His eldest son, Dao’nang, was a scholar who passed the Mingjing imperial examination. His third daughter-in-law, Lady Wu, remained chaste for over sixty years after her husband passed away when she was just four years old, and was honored with the construction of a Chastity and Filial Piety Archway by imperial decree. His eldest grandson, Xiangshang, became a scholar who passed the imperial examination, while his second grandson, Jishang, was granted the military title of Assistant Cavalry Officer.

The ceremonial hall displays official items such as yakou (ceremonial bridges), palace fans, golden melons (symbolic ornaments), square plaques engraved with civil and military ranks, and an iron broadsword weighing over a hundred jin. The ceremonial attire hall was used for performances and banquets related to memorial ceremonies. Cultural relics include the Chastity and Filial Piety Archway and wooden couplets. The couplets read: “Highly valued as fine jade, the voices of father and son resounded in the Tiger Hall; talented in strategy, their descendants rose like phoenixes through the ages”; “Records in books extol the virtues of the royal family, shining bright in historical annals; diligent service by the county magistrate brought lasting honor to the official robes”; “The school initiated ancestral glory, witnessed by generations honored by national rites; inheriting the father’s scholarly aspirations, the father and son shine within the academy walls,” among others. Including nine side halls, 22 courtyards, 120 surrounding rooms, two gate towers, two open courtyards, a pond, and a well, the entire complex covers an area of over 4,000 square meters. Entirely built with brick and wood, it is a typical example of Qing Dynasty Hakka architecture.