Yang Ancestral Hall

Yang Ancestral Hall

Yang Ancestral Hall is a cultural tourism attraction.

Yang Ancestral Hall is located among a cluster of residential buildings about 500 meters west of the Min River in Guan Ying Town. It was first built in the 12th year of the Qianlong reign during the Qing Dynasty to commemorate a Yang family member who passed the imperial examination. The hall faces southeast from the northwest, directly across the river from the Leshan Giant Buddha, enjoying an exceptionally auspicious feng shui location. Legend has it that this site was once the dwelling place of Liu Benzun, the sixth patriarch of Chinese Esoteric Buddhism. Local chronicles state: “In the Tianchi Courtyard, there is a statue of Guanyin transforming into Liu Benzun. In front of the gate, there is a step where someone once gouged out an eye and cast it into the well. Those who were blind would immediately regain their sight after washing their eyes with the water.”

The ancient well in Yang Ancestral Hall at Tianchi Dam remains intact to this day. The red “elegant stone” beside the well has been worn down by years of use, a testament to the many who have come to draw water. The ancestral hall covers an area of 2,230 square meters and is a traditional quadrangle compound made of wood. Behind the archway-style entrance is a theater stage, which connects with the main hall and west wing rooms, forming a well-organized layout. The side doors include one on the left made of white stone and another on the right crafted from red elegant stone. The red and white doors symbolize the Yang family’s excellence in both civil and military pursuits, excelling in both spheres. Within this historic compound are numerous tales and legends. The author has collected a few to share with readers.

Inside the hall grows an ancient osmanthus tree planted when the hall was built. It blooms three times a year, filling the Tianchi area with fragrance. There is also an ancient nanmu tree that towers majestically. In the 1990s, a principal surnamed Yang sold the nanmu tree, after which the osmanthus tree also withered and died. The principal who sold the tree later suffered a stroke and remained bedridden for over a decade. This is one of the strange occurrences.

Throughout the rooms of this compound, whether inhabited or not, no spiders have ever been seen over the years. Of course, mosquitoes are also rarely found. While some old houses along the western riverbanks are free of mosquitoes, none are entirely devoid of spiders—except for Yang Ancestral Hall. This is the second strange phenomenon.

Since the Tianchi Dam ancestral hall began operating as a school, cases of myopia among students have been extremely rare. However, students who leave the school to study elsewhere often begin to develop myopia. Whether due to the air inside the hall or the well water, students’ exam results have also consistently outperformed those of other schools. This is the third strange occurrence.

Two other large ancestral halls (such as the Chen Family Ancestral Hall) in the vicinity of Yang Ancestral Hall were demolished after the liberation, yet Yang Ancestral Hall alone survived. This is the fourth strange occurrence.