The Chen Family Ancestral House in Hujv

The Chen Family Ancestral House in Hujv

The Chen Family Ancestral House in Hujv is a cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province.

The Chen Family Ancestral House in Hujv is located in Lingshang Group, Qiaoxia Village, Hujv Town, Chaling County. The house backs onto a high, saddle-shaped mountain, with a pond and a vast expanse of rice paddies in front, and lush green bamboo on both sides. The entire ancient structure is primarily built with a brick-and-wood frame, featuring a symmetrical and rigorous structure, rational layout and lighting, as well as an elegant and classic design. It is constructed with blue bricks, topped with green tiles, and paved with blue stones, without decorative eaves, making it a typical example of a Qing Dynasty-era residence in Hunan.

The ancestral house includes various functional rooms such as the main residence, study, kitchen, sedan chair room, and storage, covering a total area of 5,000 square meters. The well-preserved main residence is divided into three courtyards and six wing-rooms, totaling 108 rooms, with a construction area of 3,000 square meters. There are 15 rectangular courtyards within the residence. The drainage system of the ancestral house is ingeniously designed, consisting of both open and hidden ditches, with blue stone slabs lining the bottom. Water from the interior courtyards flows through the hidden ditches, while water from the exterior eaves runs through the open ditches. It is said that no flooding has ever occurred, regardless of how heavy the rain.

The ancestral house was built in the third year of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1864 AD), and has a history of 141 years. It was constructed by Chen Shicheng, who was granted the honorary title of “Fengzheng Dafu” (a fifth-rank civil official title at the time), and remains the largest ancient residence discovered so far in Zhuzhou City.

In 2019, the Chen Family Ancestral House in Hujv was included in the list of the tenth batch of provincial-level cultural relic protection units in Hunan Province.

Qiaoxia Village: Qiaoxia Village and Xinhu Village were merged, with the administrative office located at the former Qiaoxia Village headquarters. The newly merged administrative village retained the name Qiaoxia Village. Prior to the merger, Qiaoxia Village had 1,878 mu of arable land, 505 households, a population of 2,380, 18 villager groups, and 35 Party members. Xinhu Village had 565 mu of arable land, 142 households, a population of 578, 5 villager groups, and 24 Party members. After the merger, the combined village has 2,443 mu of arable land, 647 households, a population of 2,958, 23 villager groups, and 59 Party members. … Qiaoxia Village detailed information++

Further Reading:

· Tenth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units in Hunan Province