Clan Xie’s Ancestral Hall Dunwu Hall

Clan Xie’s Ancestral Hall Dunwu Hall

Clan Xie’s Ancestral Hall Dunwu Hall is located in Xiefu Village, Hujang Township, Ganxian District, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, approximately 50 kilometers north of the county seat. The building was renovated in the first year of the Xuantong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1909). It faces south and is built with a brick-and-wood structure, featuring three bays, one entry, and two halls. It is 14 meters wide and 20.85 meters deep, with a total floor area of 292 square meters, and uses a post-and-lintel framework with a flush gable roof. The floor is paved with tiles, and the entrance features a memorial archway-style gatehouse with five bays, six hanging columns, and five stories. The gate is adorned with grey relief carvings depicting historical figures, floral and animal motifs, and geometric patterns. The central bay’s lintel is inscribed with a recessed horizontal plaque reading “Clan Xie’s Ancestral Hall” in Wei-style calligraphy read right to left, while the central dragon-phoenix panel bears an inscription reading “Famous Confucian Statesman” in Wei-style calligraphy read left to right. A pair of drum stones stands at the main gate. There is also a stage with an octagonal caisson ceiling painted with scenes from operas and dramas, as well as floral and insect motifs. Around 1990, due to the construction of the Wan’an Reservoir, a national key project, the east and west wing rooms were demolished, leaving only the main structure.

Clan Xie’s Ancestral Hall Dunwu Hall is the ancestral hall of the Xie clan in Xiefu Village. It was initially built in the fourth year of the Dade reign of the Yuan Dynasty (1300) by the third-generation ancestor Yuezhang, and was renovated in the first year of the Xuantong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1909). In 1989, due to the relocation caused by the construction of the Wan’an Hydropower Station, a national key project, the east and west auxiliary structures were demolished, leaving only the main building. The hall houses a couplet gifted by Cai Yuanpei, a renowned educator of the Republic of China, for the renovation. The couplet reads: “Our ancestors left us wise plans for prosperity, whether in literary or martial virtue, their successors are surely virtuous offspring; this land benefits from the spiritual beauty of Xiangshan Mountain, hence producing heroes and outstanding figures whose glorious achievements shine across the East and West.” The hall holds certain preservation value and was re-designated as one of the first batch of cultural relic protection units in Ganxian County in 2003. In 2006, it was listed as a provincial-level protected unit.