“Bafujun” Ancestral Hall

“Bafujun” Ancestral Hall

“Bafujun” Ancestral Hall is a cultural tourism attraction.

“Bafujun” Ancestral Hall: This is the main ancestral hall of the Wu clan in Tangyin (the Wu family being the largest and most prominent clan in the area), and it currently houses Tangyin Primary School. Overall, the front section of the building is relatively well-preserved, while the rear section—including the courtyard and the inner chamber—has been destroyed. The front gate tower has been demolished and replaced with school buildings. According to the “Biography of Bafujun” in the Wu Family Genealogy: Bafujun was the founding ancestor of the Wu clan in Tangyin, the one who planted the sweet-scented osmanthus trees. His surname was Wu, given name Song, courtesy name Jingwen, and he was the eighth son, hence the title “Bafujun” (Eighth Lord). This ancestral hall was built in the seventh month of the year Gengchen (1580) during the reign of Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty. Originally, it had a central hall with three gates, corridors on the east and west sides, twenty-eight pillars, side rooms flanking the exterior, and a kitchen located to the west of the hall. The foundation of Bafujun Ancestral Hall covered an area of 4,000 square meters. The central hall had three bays, and there were three steps leading into it. In front of the central hall was a courtyard with wing rooms on both sides, which, according to legend, were used for local imperial examinations. The entire structure is grand and imposing, with the most distinctive feature being the single-eave gable-and-hip roof of the central hall, spanning three bays in width and five in depth, supported by thirty stone-base wooden pillars—all of them massive, with the four central pillars each having a circumference of 2.46 meters. Experts have identified these as the largest residential pillars in southern China. The stone bases have a circumference of 2.90 meters and are adorned with openwork lotus petal designs. The roof employs a post-and-lintel construction method, with layered brackets and intricately carved spandrels. The front beams are carved with motifs of sparrows, deer, bees, and monkeys, symbolizing the aspiration of “achieving rank, wealth, and nobility.” On either side of the central hall are side doors, each leading to a small courtyard and two upper and lower rooms that were used to enshrine ancestral tablets. In front of the central hall lies a large courtyard, measuring 19.67 meters in length and 17.46 meters in width, containing two ancient wells. Alongside the courtyard are corridors with 28 pillars each, connected by railings. To this day, Bafujun Ancestral Hall and Cheng’en Archway retain their Ming Dynasty architectural style, making them the oldest, most classic, and most prosperous landmark structures on Tangyin Street. In 1933, veteran revolutionaries such as Mao Zedong and others led the Red Army in holding mass meetings here, leaving behind a glorious historical legacy that contributed to the victory in the Fourth Counter-Encirclement Campaign. A large number of Red Army slogans preserved at the site serve as historical testimonies to the Fourth Counter-Encirclement Campaign.