The Li Clan Ancestral Hall in Xiamen

The Li Clan Ancestral Hall in Xiamen

The Li Clan Ancestral Hall in Xiamen is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Li Clan Ancestral Hall is a traditional Chinese ancestral temple structure originally built in the early Ming Dynasty, serving as a place for worshipping ancestors and esteemed figures. It has been renovated during the Qing Dynasty, the Republican era, and in 1985. During the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns of the Qing Dynasty, the 14th and 15th generations of the Duishan Lis began migrating to areas such as Lushan in Taipei, Taiwan, eventually forming the renowned Lushan Li Clan in Taiwan. Located in Duishan Village, Jimei District, Xiamen, Fujian, it is one of Xiamen’s Taiwan-related cultural heritage sites. The ancestral hall faces northeast and is situated southwest, covering a construction area of 200 square meters, with a two-courtyard, one-atrium layout. Inside the hall are enshrined the spirit tablets of the founding ancestor Li Zhongwen and other forebears. The ancestral hall serves as a bond that unites Chinese lineage and sentiment, symbolizing and signifying China’s long history and traditional culture, and holds unparalleled influence and historical value.

According to the *Duishan Li Clan Genealogy*, the Li ancestors entered Fujian with Wang Shenzhi at the end of the Tang Dynasty. During the Southern Song Dynasty, under Emperor Lizong, the founding ancestor of the Duishan Lis, Li Zhongwen, migrated from Xiangdian in Tong’an to this area. The Duishan Li Clan has produced many notable figures throughout history. Individuals such as Malaysian Datuk Lee Ah Wah, the anti-Japanese patriot Li Youbang, and Li Liangrong, commander of the Nationalist 28th Army, are all descendants of the Duishan Li Clan. Their portraits are displayed in the ancestral hall as symbols of family honor by their relatives.