Zhou Wei Ancestral Hall

Zhou Wei Ancestral Hall

Zhou Wei Ancestral Hall is a cultural tourism attraction.

Zhou Wei Ancestral Hall, also known as the Temple of King Zhou, is located east of Gongcheng County. Built in the 14th year of the Chenghua reign during the Ming Dynasty (1478) and renovated in the first year of the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty (1723), it is a memorial temple dedicated to Zhou Wei, an imperial censor of the Song Dynasty. The complex consists of a stage (now destroyed), a gate tower, a main hall, a rear hall (also destroyed), and left and right wing rooms.

The main hall has a hybrid structure of two bays with five pillars in a through-tenon framework and three brick walls. The wing rooms have the same width as the depth of the main hall. The gate tower is a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof structure, spanning five bays, clearly divided into central, intermediate, and side bays.

The construction of the gate tower features distinctive characteristics of Guangxi: first, the eave pillars support the lower eaves while the golden pillars hold up the upper eaves, resulting in a sudden narrowing of the structure in the middle; second, the bracket sets mainly serve decorative purposes. In the case of the Zhou Wei Ancestral Hall’s gate tower, the bracket sets not only have an ornamental function but also possess a unique feature — they are composed of a meticulous and orderly honeycomb-like arrangement of three types: seat brackets, interlocking brackets, and paired interlocking brackets. This design causes airflow to create backflow as it passes through, producing a roaring sound that deters bats from resting and birds from nesting, thus providing a natural defense against pests and birds. Such a feature is rare in ancient architecture.

On the outer eave overhangs of the side bays, over a thousand sturdy wooden beams are interconnected throughout the structure, efficiently bearing the load of the upper levels. This allows the roof eaves to project majestically, creating a grand and imposing sight rarely seen in Qing Dynasty architecture. These bracket set structures and wooden frameworks serve as valuable examples for the study of ancient buildings. Introduction to Zhou Wei

A native of Lujiaokou Village in Gongcheng, Zhou Wei was born during the Five Dynasties period of the Southern Tang and passed away in the second year of the Xianping reign of the Northern Song Dynasty (999). He was a scholar-official who rose to the position of imperial censor. Known for his integrity and dedication to public service, he was regarded as an upright and clean-handed official. In honor of him, the people of his hometown built this temple for worship.

On the 15th day of the sixth lunar month, Zhou Wei’s birthday, residents of the county town and nearby villages hold grand commemorative events. They perform operas in front of the temple to offer thanks to the deity, and households along the streets set up offerings for worship.

Ticket & Opening Hours: 8 RMB per person.

Transportation: Take a bus from Guilin to Gongcheng to get there.