The Geng Chuan Ancestral Hall

Geng Chuan Ancestral Hall

The Geng Chuan Ancestral Hall is a cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province.

-- The former residence is located in the Geng Chuan Ancestral Hall, which serves as the clan temple for the Liling branch of the Geng family. It was first built in 1861 (the 11th year of the Xianfeng reign during the Qing Dynasty), featuring a brick-and-wood structure with small blue-tiled roofing.

It consists of the main hall, side halls on both sides, and left and right wing rooms, measuring 71.4 meters in length and 33 meters in width, with a total of three courtyards and eighty-one rooms. The building covers a land area of 3,500 square meters and a construction area of 2,356 square meters.

Designed with a typical garden-style layout from eastern Hunan, it incorporates the architectural and cultural concepts of southern China during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Ingeniously designed, exquisitely built, and grand in scale, it stands as an outstanding representative of Liling’s ancestral hall architecture and is also part of the city’s newly planned red tourism and farming culture exhibition area.

In December 2012, the Liling Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government initiated the protection and restoration project of the Geng Chuan Ancestral Hall. After nearly a year of construction, the main building and supporting facilities were completed, and the site was opened to the public for free in December 2013.

-- Due to a poor family background, with no roof over their heads and no land beneath their feet, they were allowed to stay in the ancestral hall by the kindness of fellow clan members. In addition to residing there, they were responsible for cleaning the temple, maintaining the buildings, and managing incense and candles.

-- He was the 18th generation of the Geng family. On August 28, 1909, he was born in the Geng Chuan Ancestral Hall and lived here with his family for twelve years. This place was an important site where he spent his childhood, studied, and worked.

The Geng Chuan Ancestral Hall currently houses four exhibition rooms: "The Demeanor of a General Diplomat – The Life and Achievements of --", "Restored Exhibition of --’s Former Residence", "Cultural Exhibition of Geng Chuan Ancestral Hall", and "Preserving Rural Memories – Liling Farming Implements Exhibition".

The "Restored Exhibition of --’s Former Residence" includes reconstructed spaces such as the bedrooms of --’s parents, the bedrooms of -- and his siblings, the kitchen, dining room, and miscellaneous rooms, using a large number of artifacts to recreate the living conditions of --’s family at that time.

The "The Demeanor of a General Diplomat – The Life and Achievements of --" is divided into four sections: "Devoting Himself to the Revolution, Baptism in a Time of Turmoil", "In the Thick of Military Campaigns, A Contributor to People’s Liberation", "Pursuing Truth and Pragmatism, The Demeanor of an Outstanding Diplomat", and "Bearing Great Responsibilities, The Sentiments of a Leader of the Republic", offering a comprehensive introduction to the illustrious life and achievements of --.

In 2019, the Geng Chuan Ancestral Hall (--’s Former Residence) was approved as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit in the tenth batch of Hunan Province.

Further Reading:

· Tenth Batch of Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units of Hunan Province