The Hu Clan Ancestral Hall in Qiaowan

The Hu Clan Ancestral Hall in Qiaowan

The Hu Clan Ancestral Hall in Qiaowan is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province.

The Hu Clan Ancestral Hall stands at the entrance of Qiaowan Village. Built during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, its construction and interior decoration took a total of 16 years and cost several thousand taels of gold. It spans 35 meters in width and extends 50 meters in depth, covering an area of over 1,750 square meters, with 256 pillars standing on the ground. The entire hall is constructed of brick and wood, featuring a three-courtyard palace-style layout. The upper hall serves as the “Hu Clan Family Temple,” enshrining the memorial tablets of generations of ancestors. The middle hall is spacious and majestic, functioning as a council chamber. On the right side above, there are five plaques awarded to successful imperial examination candidates, while on the left hang eight longevity plaques for both men and women, including two for centenarians. The words “Loyalty, Filial Piety, Integrity, and Chastity” are prominently displayed on the east and west sides, with twelve Hu Clan family precepts engraved in the center of the eastern side and the generational naming characters of the Hu Clan marked in the center of the western side. The side rooms are used to store ritual vessels and books. Each pillar is adorned with couplets written by renowned scholars. In front of the lower hall lies a large, square central courtyard, where two osmanthus trees, each over 400 years old, are planted. Their branches remain lush to this day, blooming twice a year with a fragrance that can be smelled up to ten li away. To the right of the ancestral hall are the Renshou Palace and the Guan Di Temple, adjacent to each other, while to the left are the Ji Ren Ancestral Hall and the Xin Ancestral Hall, closely connected. In front, the Canglang River serves as a mirror-like reflection, and behind, Mao Gong Mountain stands as a solid backdrop. With its grand and imposing presence, it truly lives up to the reputation of the “No. 1 Ancestral Hall in the South of the Yangtze.”

The Hu Clan Ancestral Hall in Qiaowan still preserves a stone stele inscribed with an imperial edict from the Ming Dynasty. The stele is approximately 90 centimeters long and 45 centimeters wide. On both the front and back, the traditional Chinese characters for “Imperial Edict” are carved in clear, powerful strokes. According to the regulations of the time, constructing an ancestral hall of such scale required imperial approval. After applying, the Hu Clan received permission from the emperor and was granted the edict. Later generations engraved the edict onto the stone stele, which was then placed in the ancestral hall. The Hu Clan has safeguarded it through the generations, preserving it to this day.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jiangxi Province