The Liu Clan Ancestral Hall of Xinhua

The Liu Clan Ancestral Hall of Xinhua

The Liu Clan Ancestral Hall of Xinhua is a cultural heritage site protected at the Xinhua County level.

The Liu Clan Ancestral Hall of Xinhua is located in Baichayuan Village, Fengjia Town, Xinhua County, Hunan Province.

Originally built in the fifth year of the Qianlong reign during the Qing Dynasty (1740), the Liu Clan Ancestral Hall of Xinhua is a brick-and-wood quadrangle structure that faces southwest and is situated to the northeast. It covers a land area of 420 square meters and a construction area of 1,083 square meters, consisting of a main hall, a theater stage, and two-story wing rooms on both sides. The overall style is delicate and unique, with exquisitely crafted and lively architectural elements.

The theater stage features a single-eave hip-and-gable roof covered with green tiles. The ground floor connects directly to the main entrance of the ancestral hall and is paved with stone flooring; the second floor is a wooden floor used as the stage, with its ceiling and surrounding areas fully adorned with painted patterns.

There are countless ancestral halls across the country, and most of their murals depict the Eight Immortals or auspicious patterns. It is extremely rare to find an ancestral hall where poems serve as the main theme of the murals. This Liu Clan Ancestral Hall in Xinhua County is one of them.

Although the Liu Clan Ancestral Hall has been designated as a county-level cultural heritage site in Xinhua County, its level of protection should not stop there. The reason lies not only in the uniqueness of its murals but also in the rarity of its surviving architectural components, which are truly exceptional among ancestral halls nationwide.

The “Dragon, Phoenix, and Floral” openwork lintel is carved with three dragons, two phoenixes, and surrounded by floral motifs, all coated with gold lacquer. The extensive use of gold lacquer on wood carvings is common in the Chaoshan region, but it is quite rare in the Hunan area.

Baichayuan Village: Baichayuan Village…… More details about Baichayuan Village++