Mao Clan Ancestral Hall in Shaoshan

Mao Clan Ancestral Hall in Shaoshan

The Mao Clan Ancestral Hall in Shaoshan is a cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province.

Introduction

The Mao Clan Ancestral Hall is the main ancestral hall of the Mao clan in Shaoshan. It was first built in 1758 and completed in 1763. The structure is made of brick and wood, with blue bricks and tiles, covering a construction area of about 700 square meters. The lintel above the main gate bears the inscription "Mao Clan Ancestral Hall." A stone drum stands on each side of the entrance. The ancestral hall consists of three sections. The first section is the theater building. The central part of the upper floor is the stage, which can accommodate dozens of performers. The sides of the upper floor are dressing rooms. The lower central part is a small hall, with side rooms on each side — the left being the kitchen area and the right the dining area. The second section is the middle hall. A bell hangs in the right corridor and a drum in the left. This section served as the place for clan meetings, lectures, ceremonies, and banquets. The third section is the "Dunben Hall," where ancestral tablets of past generations were enshrined. The left side of the hall served as lodging, while the right side stored money, grain, ritual vessels, and other items. In the autumn of 1921, progressive intellectuals of Shaoshan, Mao Luzhong and Mao Jianchen, established the Mao Clan Family School here. From early spring to mid-autumn in 1925, Mao Zedong, together with his wife Yang Kaihui, returned to Shaoshan to carry out the peasant movement, using the school classrooms to open a night school for peasants — the earliest such school in Shaoshan. Yang Kaihui was in charge of the night school and gave lectures there. During the Anti-Japanese War, the Shaoshan branch of the Communist Party set up a library here. In the early years after liberation, this site housed the Shaoshan District Committee and District Office of Xiangtan County, as well as the Shaoshan District Cultural Center. In 1968, relevant departments carried out major renovations to preserve its original appearance from the 1920s and opened it to the public. In the early 1980s, the People's Government of Hunan Province designated it as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit and included it within the scope of the nationally key protected Mao Zedong Former Residence. Since the 1990s, the Mao Clan Ancestral Hall has undergone large-scale restoration and hosted the influential "Exhibition on Mao Zedong’s Family Lineage." Using cultural relics, photos, and TV recordings as media, the exhibition introduced the origins of Mao Zedong’s family and his personal background, achieving excellent display results.

Location

Guyuan Road, Shaoshan City, Xiangtan, Hunan

Mao Zedong (December 26, 1893 – September 9, 1976), courtesy name Runzhi (originally Yongzhi, later changed to Runzhi), pen name Ziren. A native of Xiangtan, Hunan. He was the leader of the Chinese people, a Marxist, a great proletarian revolutionary, strategist, and theorist, as well as the principal founder and leader of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and the People's Republic of China. He was also a poet and calligrapher. From 1949 to 1976, Mao Zedong served as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China. His contributions to the development of Marxism-Leninism, military theory, and... More details on Mao Zedong++

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