Shangluo Deng Clan Ancestral Hall

Shangluo Deng Clan Ancestral Hall

The Shangluo Deng Clan Ancestral Hall is a cultural heritage site protected by Jiangxi Province.

The “Shangluo Deng Clan Ancestral Hall” is located next to the primary school in Shangluo Village, Wanrong Town. It was built by descendants of the Shangluo Deng Clan to commemorate their founding ancestor, Deng Junmin. The Dengs of Shangluo Village were originally surnamed Li, descendants of Li Jing (916–August 12, 961), the Yuanzong Emperor of the Southern Tang during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. In the early Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Taizu Zhao Kuangyin campaigned against Yangzhou and granted Li Jing’s eighth son, Li Congyi, the title of Duke of Deng to govern Xuanyang. In 978, the last ruler of the Southern Tang, Li Yu, was poisoned to death by Emperor Taizong Zhao Guangyi of the Song, and Li clan officials were hunted down and executed. Li Congyi then fled with his family, setting sail under cover of night from Wanning (Anhui), and went into hiding in Hongzhou, Yihuang, and Le’an. In the second year of the Chongning era (1103) during the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Song, his grandson Deng Junmin settled at Shangluo, starting from Jikouqiao (Zhaoxie, Le’an). To avoid persecution by the imperial court, the Li family of Shangluo changed their surname to Deng, a tradition that continues to this day. The ancestral hall was first built in the Xuanshen year (1428) of the Xuande era during the Ming Dynasty. To allow descendants of the Deng Clan to honor their ancestors’ great achievements, express nostalgia for their lost homeland, mourn the fall of their dynasty, and inspire future generations to strive for excellence, the “Bell Tower” and “Drum Tower” were added in the Dingshou year (1517) of the Zhengde era. The structure was renovated again in the Jiayin year (1674) of the Kangxi era during the Qing Dynasty, and in the thirteenth year of the Republic of China (1924).

The ancestral hall features a front gate tower and courtyard, with a three-courtyard layout and a hard mountain-style roof. It faces east and is situated westward. The surrounding walls are constructed using the two-stone-one-sleeper method. The gable walls on both sides feature three-flower watchtower designs in the first courtyard, five-flower watchtower styles in the second, and hipped gables resembling a person’s hairstyle with protective eaves in the third. The floor plan is a longitudinal rectangle, spanning 17.6 meters in width and 55.6 meters in depth. The entrance porch is linear, spanning three bays, with a double-step beam structure above. The wooden framework in the central bays of the first and second courtyards uses a combination of post-and-lintel and bracketing methods, while the third courtyard has brick walls in place of timber. The facade is divided into two levels, and each courtyard’s floor is paved with horizontally laid strip bricks in staggered joints. The front courtyard is square, with stone-framed bases filled in, and bell and drum towers are built on either side. The bell and drum towers have double-eave, four-sloped pyramidal roofs, with internal grass-frame beams. The ground floor of each tower is a longitudinal rectangle, facing the courtyard with bottle-shaped doors. On the right side, the lower lintel is inscribed with “Jinhe” (Gold Harmony), and the upper lintel with “Bell Tower.” On the left, the lower lintel reads “Yujie” (Jade Joint), and the upper “Drum Tower.” The towers have masonry plum blossom-shaped lattice windows. The walls extend corner beams and bracket arms at each corner, working with cantilever beams to support the eaves, which are covered with round rafters and boarding, topped with gray tiles. The four corners rise in upward curves, creating an elegant sweeping effect. The rear courtyard is a horizontal rectangle, with a footbridge in the center and ponds on either side.

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Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units