Lu Family Ancestral Temple (Xulun Hall)

Lu Family Ancestral Temple (Xulun Hall)

The Lu Family Ancestral Temple (Xulun Hall) is a cultural tourism attraction.

Lu Family Ancestral Temple (Xulun Hall): Originally built in the 33rd year of the Wanli era during the Ming Dynasty (1606), it faces northeast and is situated southwest, spanning three bays in width and extending three sections in depth. Constructed with a brick-and-wood structure and triple fireproof walls, it covers an area of 367 square meters. The temple’s gate tower is exquisitely crafted, featuring a hip-and-gable roof covered with blue tiles, with bracket sets (dougong) under the eaves. The architrave below the bracket sets is adorned with relief carvings of various painted patterns, while the Hongmen Beam features intricately carved dragons playing with a pearl. The center of the architrave is inscribed in gold characters on a blue background with the words “Prestigious House of Southern Chu.” Couplets are another highlight of the ancestral temple. For example, the gate tower pillar couplet reads: “The noble peak stands to the right with painted screens nearby; the source waters encircle like a long jade belt.” The main gate couplet reads: “A grand gate welcomes the morning sun; a distinguished clan values the clear and bright.” The central hall pillar couplet reads: “Honor those you respect, cherish those you love; both inside and out, value refined interactions; perform the rites, play the music, recount the origins, and joyfully uphold them without ceasing.” The wooden door couplet leading from the central hall to the rear hall reads: “Remembering ancestors and upholding lineage, how could we not diligently cultivate our virtues? Conducting ourselves and engaging with the world, we must repay it with timely and proper conduct.” Above the spirit tablet altar in the rear hall hangs a plaque inscribed with “Xulun Hall,” flanked by couplets that read: “The ancestors’ virtues are profound; we can only repay them with spring and autumn sacrifices—how could we not be reverent? The descendants’ plans are far-reaching; they must achieve success through deeds and reputation—nothing is better than practicing benevolence.” The spirit tablet altar in the ancestral temple is exquisitely carved, enshrining the ancestral tablets of the founding ancestors of the Lu family and other prominent clan members through the generations. There are also several stone steles in the temple, all of which are inscriptions recording the renovations of the ancestral temple through the ages.