Ouyang Clan Ancestral Hall in Guiyang

Ouyang Clan Ancestral Hall in Guiyang

The Ouyang Clan Ancestral Hall in Guiyang is a protected cultural heritage site of Hunan Province.

Ouyang Clan Ancestral Hall

Dating back to the Qing Dynasty, it is located in Xiayang Village, Sizhou Township, Guiyang County, Hunan Province. The architecture of the ancestral hall, along with its stone and wood carvings, holds significant cultural and artistic value.

It was built in the 10th year of the Shunzhi reign (1653) and completed in the 5th year of the Kangxi reign (1676). Multiple renovations were carried out during the Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Guangxu eras.

The ancestral hall is a brick-and-wood structure in the form of a quadrangle courtyard. It is rectangular in shape, measuring 14.8 meters in width and 32.7 meters in total depth, with a construction area of 483.96 square meters. The floor is paved with long flagstones. The first section is an enclosed courtyard surrounded by brick walls, with arched gateways on the north and south sides built from flagstones. The front of the courtyard features three main gates, with the central gate resting on a column base carved with a seated lion. Originally, plaques such as “Jinshi” (successful imperial examination candidate) hung above the gate. The second section is a theater stage, spanning three bays in width and two in depth. The stage platform is built from six layers of stacked flagstones, standing 2.1 meters high, with wooden planks laid on top. At the two corners of the platform base stand stone dragons, uniquely shaped. The front base of the stage is carved with two lions fighting over a silk ball, with an elephant on the right and a qilin on the left. The side walls of the stage are adorned with carvings of flowers, insects, and birds. The stage is supported by four pillars, the front two of which rest on coiled dragon stone bases with exquisitely detailed carvings. The ceiling features a covered-bowl caisson, while the eaves and bracket sets are intricately carved with motifs of dragons playing with pearls, the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, and floral patterns. A wooden partition separates the front and rear sections of the stage, with lattice windows carved with floral designs in between. The stage has upturned eaves at all four corners, a hip-and-gable roof covered with small blue tiles, and a finial in the shape of a gourd on top.

The third section is a central courtyard, flanked by corridors on both sides. The corridors are supported by four pillars each and connect to side rooms, with carved deer or qilins embedded at the front ends of the beams, linking to the wooden columns. The fourth section is the central hall, measuring 14.8 meters in width and 8.3 meters in depth. There are three wooden pillars on each side, with drum-shaped bases carved with plants and animals. The front ends of the beams on the pillars are carved with dragon heads, and the side walls are painted with scenes of traditional opera characters. The fifth section is the ancestral shrine, separated from the central hall by wooden panels (later replaced with brick walls during renovations in 1991), and features a plaque inscribed with “Wenzhong Hall.” The shrine houses ancestral tablets.

The intricate wood and stone carvings of the ancestral hall are all masterpieces of art. The seated lions on the gate pillars, the dragon pillars on the stage, and various wood carvings depicting figures, lions, elephants, flowers, and birds are lifelike and exquisitely crafted, possessing high historical and artistic value. They provide valuable physical materials for studying the social history and cultural ideologies of the early Qing period.

On May 19, 2002, the People’s Government of Hunan Province designated it as a provincial-level cultural heritage site, with the designation number 42-1.

Source: Overview of Cultural Relics in Hunan

Xiayang Village: Xiayang Village (Xiayang Cun)

Ouyang Village is divided into two settlements. This area, located at a lower elevation, is called Xiayang Village. It lies in the southeastern part of the township, bordering Shangyang Village to the east, Ouyanghai Town to the south, Zhudong Village and Sizhou Village to the west, and Siyou Village to the north, approximately 2.8 kilometers from the township government. The population is relatively concentrated, comprising 13 villager groups. In 2011, the village had 430 households and 1,696 residents, covering an area of 4 square kilometers.

The local economy is primarily agricultural. The cultivated land area is 1,110.2 mu, including 78… More details about Xiayang Village++

Further reading:

· Ninth Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Sites in Hunan Province