The Tingyuan Ancestral Hall

The Tingyuan Ancestral Hall

The Tingyuan Ancestral Hall is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Ma Tingyuan Ancestral Hall is located in Louqian Village, Zhongbu Town, approximately 30 kilometers from downtown Leping City. Covering an area of over 200 acres, it houses memorial tablets of the Ma family’s eminent ancestors and some of their relics. The hall was built to commemorate Ma Tingyuan, who served as the Right Prime Minister and concurrently as the Privy Councilor during the Southern Song Dynasty. A native of Louqian Village in Leping, Ma Tingyuan was known for his devotion to scholarly pursuits despite a humble upbringing. He possessed profound knowledge, excelled in literature, and was especially skilled in parallel prose writing. He served as a court literary secretary (responsible for drafting imperial edicts and other official documents) for two successive emperors. Ma was known for his integrity, dedication to selecting and nurturing talent, and deep concern for the plight of the people. He harbored intense disdain for corrupt officials and remained unwaveringly loyal to the court, the nation, and the ethnic group. In his later years, he retired to his hometown, where he devoted himself to writing and teaching his children, while also actively participating in public welfare. His second son, Ma Duanlin, made significant contributions to the field of Chinese historiography, authoring the monumental work “A Comprehensive Study of Literature,” a landmark in historical scholarship. The phrase “the moral integrity of Hong [Hao] and the literary excellence of the Ma [family],” often associated with Leping, refers to this legacy. Descendants of Ma Tingyuan are now spread across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, as well as Chaoshan in Guangdong and Fujian in China, with many achieving notable success in their respective fields. In October 1996, representatives from the Ma Clan Association of Thailand and a pilgrimage group of Ma descendants from Chaoshan, Guangdong, attended the grand International Symposium on Hong Hao and Ma Duanlin, held in conjunction with the 17th Annual Conference of the China Historical Literature Research Association in the city. Following the event, they contributed hundreds of thousands of yuan to renovate the Ma Tingyuan Ancestral Hall. In 2006, the 4th World Ma Clan Reunion Congress was grandly held in Leping City. In preparation for the congress, the Tingyuan Ancestral Hall underwent extensive renovation and expansion. A square was constructed in front of the hall, at the center of which stands a stone statue of Ma Tingyuan, funded by Ma descendants from Guangdong. Ma descendants from around the world who attended the reunion held a solemn ancestral worship ceremony there. To this day, a large number of Ma descendants visit the site every year to trace their roots and pay homage to their ancestors.