The Li Clan Ancestral Hall in Zhangqiu

The Li Clan Ancestral Hall in Zhangqiu

The Li Clan Ancestral Hall in Zhangqiu is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Li Clan Ancestral Hall is located south of Maoli Village, XiuHui Town, Zhangqiu City, Shandong Province. It was first built in the early years of the Xianfeng reign during the Qing Dynasty (1855), and has a history of over 140 years. Judging from the building’s column bases, the existing structure dates back to the Qing Dynasty.

According to the Li Clan Genealogy revised in the 12th year of the Republic of China (1923), the Li family migrated from Zaoyang, Hebei Province to Maoli Village in Zhangqiu during the Yuan Dynasty. The entire ancestral hall complex stretches 100 meters from north to south and 22 meters from east to west, divided into front and rear courtyards. The main structures in the front courtyard are the main gate and the passageway hall. With flush gable roofs covered in gray tiles, the buildings feature brick, stone, and wood construction. A plaque inscribed with “Li Clan Ancestral Hall” hangs above the gate. The passageway hall, situated between the front and rear courtyards, consists of five bays, spanning 12.4 meters in width. Its bracket sets are of the five-purlin single downward-cantilever type, with flush gable roofs, gray tile coverings, and brick-and-stone construction. This hall was originally used by the Li family as a gathering space. On either side of the passageway hall are brick walls with arched side doors. To the west of the screen wall lies a large flat bluestone, smooth as a bed, known as the “Sleeping Dragon Stone.” Legend has it that Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, once herded cattle here and would lie on the stone during summer, resting his head on a pole and stretching his limbs out in a shape resembling the Chinese character for “heaven.” There are two ancient pine trees in the courtyard, each standing beside a horizontal memorial stele. It is said they were planted in the early Qing Dynasty, and both have trunks with diameters of over 0.4 meters and heights of more than 8 meters. The rear hall consists of five bays and houses ancestral tablets. There is also a rear door facing north that leads to the ancestral tombs, facilitating visits during worship ceremonies. The passageway hall, arched gates, rear hall, and Sleeping Dragon Stone are all well preserved, making them some of the best-maintained structures among ancestral halls in the city. The rear courtyard also contains two ancient pine trees, along with two dragon claw locust trees, each with trunks over 0.4 meters in diameter and heights of around 3 meters. Their twisted branches resemble coiling dragons. In 1982, these trees were recognized by the Jinan Forestry Bureau as the finest dragon claw locusts in Jinan. According to the Li Clan Genealogy, the Li family moved to this location in the second year of the Zhizheng reign during the Yuan Dynasty (1342). The genealogy records that the Li Clan Ancestral Hall was initially built during the Ming Dynasty and was later renovated during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty and again in the 20th year of the Republic of China (1931).