The Hu Clan Ancestral Hall in Yushan

The Hu Clan Ancestral Hall in Yushan

The Hu Clan Ancestral Hall was first built in the 36th year of the Wanli reign during the Ming Dynasty (1608), completed in the 38th year of Wanli (1620), and then underwent three more years of decoration before finally being finished in the 3rd year of the Tianqi reign (1623), taking a total of sixteen years. The construction was large in scale, time-consuming, and of high quality. It has a history of over 400 years and has undergone renovations during the 1st year of the Yongzheng reign in the Qing Dynasty, the 45th and 53rd years of the Qianlong reign, as well as in the year 2000. It remains well-preserved to this day. The Hu Clan Ancestral Hall is one of the rare ancient buildings in our province that is both ancient, grand in scale, and well-maintained. It provides important physical material for the study of the development and evolution of architectural art in the Jiangnan region after the Ming Dynasty.

The Qiaowan Hu Clan Ancestral Hall is grand in scale, simple yet elegant, exquisitely crafted, with carefully selected and large-sized materials, and beautifully decorated. The largest wooden pillar has a diameter of 460 mm, and the longest stone slab on the floor measures up to 5 meters. The painted patterns on the ridge beams of the front hall’s central and side bays are vividly lifelike. It is a typical example of a mixed brick-and-wood structure combining the raised-beam and through-tenon styles of timber framing from the Ming Dynasty in the Jiangnan region. It features the classic artistic style of Jiangnan architecture and is one of the rare well-preserved ancient buildings still existing in our province.