The Jiahe Liu Family Ancestral Hall

Jiahe Liu Family Ancestral Hall

The Jiahe Liu Family Ancestral Hall is a cultural heritage site protected by Hunan Province.

The Liu Family Ancestral Hall is located at the entrance of Luxiaping Village, Puman Township, Jiahe County. Its original construction date is unknown, but it was renovated in the 10th year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty (1830). The ancestral hall is built with a combination of brick, stone, and wood, facing northwest and covering an area of 747 square meters. It has three sections arranged along a north-south axis, consisting of a gatehouse, stage, central hall, shrine hall, and side rooms on both sides. The gatehouse has five bays, with the two side bays serving as wing rooms. It has one main door and two side doors. The main beam above the front gate is carved with two lions playing with a pearl, and the threshold is engraved with floral patterns. The main gate is inscribed with four characters in running regular script: “Liu Family Ancestral Hall.” The doorposts are engraved with a couplet: “The ancestral hall unites generations of ancestors and descendants; the grand gateway welcomes sons and grandsons.” The left door is labeled “Mumen” (Gate of Solemnity), and the right door is labeled “Zhaohu” (Gate of Brightness), both in black characters on a white background. Under the eaves are faded paintings of the Eight Immortals and other figures. Two stone pillars stand in front of the gatehouse, each 5.4 meters tall, with a horizontally engraved couplet: “A team of horses gallops, shining the virtues of the family; a deer-drawn cart gathers, uplifting the family’s fame.” The gable walls of the gatehouse feature a three-tiered slope in the front and a two-tiered slope in the back, constructed as load-bearing walls.

Upon entering the main gate is the stage, which has a stone-and-wood structure and is built behind the gatehouse. The stage measures 7.7 meters in length, 6.7 meters in width, and 10.4 meters in height. It features a hip-and-gable roof with upturned eaves, a post-and-lintel frame, and a square caisson ceiling inside. The stage combines stone pillars, stone load-bearing elements, and wooden posts for support, with two 5.7-meter-high stone pillars holding it up. These pillars are engraved with a horizontally written running script couplet, and the base is lifted by two stone lions that bear the weight of the entire stage. The side wing rooms are two-story buildings connected to the side rooms. Originally three bays wide, these side rooms measure 18 meters in length and 4.2 meters in width. In 1966, the Puman Commune established the Puman Agricultural Middle School here, converting the side rooms into classrooms. Currently, the left classroom has collapsed. A courtyard paved with bluestone slabs lies between the side rooms, serving as a space for watching performances and gatherings.

In front of the stage is the central hall, which is three bays wide and 18.2 meters deep, with a flush gable roof and a post-and-lintel frame. At the center of the roof ridge sits a gourd-shaped finial, and the fireproof walls are decorated with motifs of bats and qilin. On the left side are embedded two stone steles: one recounts the history of the ancestral hall’s renovation, and the other records donor contributions. The central hall has six stone pillars, each 7 meters tall, with four of them symmetrically engraved with couplets in different scripts. Entering from the central hall leads to the shrine hall, where the central feature is a stone-carved sacrificial altar, now destroyed. Inside the shrine hall, four stone pillars, each 6 meters tall, are inscribed with neatly matched couplets in seal and running regular scripts. Between the shrine hall and the central hall is a patio measuring 5.4 meters in length and 3.4 meters in width, providing lighting and drainage.

The Liu Family Ancestral Hall features a compact structure, comprehensive functions, and rational layout. Its grey bricks, grey tiles, and grey stones give it a typical architectural style of southern Hunan. Particularly valuable are the six couplets, carved in six different scripts and featuring diverse content, which are engraved on 12 stone pillars within the hall. Other stone carvings, inscriptions, and painted decorations in the ancestral hall also hold significant artistic value. In 2000, it was designated as a county-level cultural heritage site under Document No. 26 issued by the Jiahe County Government; in 2002, it was listed as a provincial-level cultural heritage site under Document No. 11 issued by the Hunan Provincial Government. Currently, the main structure remains largely intact, but parts of the side rooms collapsed following the 2005 flood and the 2008 ice disaster. The stage has also sustained severe damage, with many beams rotten and roof tiles leaking.

On May 19, 2002, it was designated as a provincial-level cultural heritage site by the People's Government of Hunan Province, with the designation number 47-6.

Source: Overview of Cultural Relics in Hunan

Puman Township: A township under the jurisdiction of Jiahe County. It belonged to Guixian Township in 1949, Puman Township of the Second District in 1950, was reorganized as a commune in 1958, and reinstated as a township in 1986. Located in the northeastern part of the county, it is 19.2 kilometers from the county seat, covers an area of 69.6 square kilometers, and has a population of 19,000. The township government is located in Zhongxindong. It is accessible by road. The township administers 16 village committees—Puman, Leijia, Zengjia, Banshan, Cheye, Banbei, Taoyuanping, Shijiaotang, Taiping, Xiangyang, Dayuanshan, Xiazhuang, Luxiaping, Xiawuping, Chawu, and Zhibei—as well as the Puman Neighborhood Committee. Mineral resources include manganese and quartz crystals. Local township enterprises include a marble factory. … More details about Puman Township++