Doukui Ancestral Hall

Doukui Ancestral Hall

The Doukui Ancestral Hall is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Jiangxi Province.

The “Doukui Ancestral Hall” is located in Congtang Village, Zhouhu Town, Anfu County, 28 kilometers from the county seat of Anfu. It is a large-scale, multifunctional building jointly constructed in the 8th year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1882) by local scholar Zhou Doukui and his son Zhou Weixiu. The structure integrates ancestral hall, worship space, residence, study, and side rooms. Not only is it fully equipped and functionally complete, but it also boasts a rich cultural atmosphere and excellent state of preservation, making it a rare example of a folk “mansion.” It has been listed as a county-level cultural heritage protection site.

The “Doukui Ancestral Hall” faces south and is built with a brick-and-wood structure, featuring a flush gable roof, finely jointed gray bricks, and both front and rear courtyards. The main gate wall is 8 meters high and the complex covers an area of 880 square meters. Inside, it is divided into three rows and two courtyards, comprising a total of 12 rooms. The hall door lintel is inlaid with a two-tier stone tablet; the upper tier vertically inscribed with “Imperial Decree of Grace,” flanked by relief carvings of figures, and the lower tier horizontally engraved with “Doukui Ancestral Hall.” Opposite the main gate is a screen wall featuring gold-painted characters “Shou” (Longevity) and “Wenzhi Guanghua” (Splendor of Culture and Governance), which remain radiant to this day. The front hall has arcaded corridors on both sides, with a central courtyard; the main hall features a double-layer spirit niche, each niche with a door. The brackets between beams and pillars are adorned with round carvings of auspicious animals such as qilin, dragons, phoenixes, lions, and deer. The partition screens are decorated with intricate patterns of flowers, blessings, and longevity motifs, all vivid and exquisitely crafted. The second-floor railings of the inner hall are entirely made of camphor wood carvings, with black lacquer base, bright red finish, and gold outlining. At the top inside the main gate is a 4-square-meter caisson ceiling, with carved floral ornaments at the four corners and a bamboo-and-plum design in the center, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship. The rear courtyard connects to the east-side auxiliary rooms, with a gate lintel inscribed “Birdsong and Floral Fragrance.” A small fishpond is built on the east side of the front courtyard, supplied with flowing water from outside, and the pond wall is inscribed with “Weiqu Qiuquan” (Compromise for Harmony). The fishpond connects to the kitchen, facilitating feeding and harvesting.

Although the structure dates from the late Qing Dynasty, its craftsmanship is no less impressive than that of the prosperous Kangxi and Qianlong eras. The builder, a scholar from a Confucian family, became wealthy through business ventures abroad, later purchasing the official rank of fifth-rank daifu (scholar-official). He then commissioned the construction of this grand residence in a secluded rural location according to Daoist feng shui principles. The building reflects a blend of Confucian, commercial, agricultural, and aesthetic values, embodying the mindset of feudal literati and featuring distinctive characteristics.

Zhouhu Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Anfu County. It is a major town in southern Anfu and a key grain-producing area. In 1950, it comprised ten townships including Zhouhu, Wangtun, and Baizhang; in 1958, these were merged into Zhouhu Commune; in 1984, it became Zhouhu Township; and in 1992, it was established as Zhouhu Town. Located in the southern part of the county, the town government is seated in Zhouhu. It is 29 kilometers from the county seat, covers an area of 180 square kilometers, and has a population of 37,000. The town is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with plains to the east. The Chen River, as well as the Fen-Yi to Wen-Zhu Railway and the An-Fu to Yong-Xin Provincial Highway, pass through the town area. The town administers Zhouhu Street Neighborhood Committee and villages including Tangbian, Nanwang, Yaoling, Maotian, Wenyuan, Zhongzhou, Wangtun, San... More detailed information about Zhouhu Town++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units