Tongzi Chen Ancestral Hall

The Chen Ancestral Hall, located on Middle Street in Shangqi Town, 30 kilometers southeast of the county seat, was first built in the 29th year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty (1849) to commemorate Chen Yudian, a prefect during the early Qianlong reign. During his tenure as the prefect of Zunyi, Chen introduced oak silkworm eggs from Shandong and taught locals how to raise and weave them, pioneering the silk textile industry in Guizhou. The resulting products “were sold to the Western Regions and traded in Nanyang,” which brought wealth to Zunyi. The Chen Ancestral Hall is a key cultural relic protection unit in Guizhou Province. It consists of the main hall, left and right wing rooms, a wind-and-rain corridor, and a stele corridor, covering an area of about 650 square meters. The entrance gate is a four-pillar, three-door brick memorial archway. Inside the gate, the wind-and-rain corridor leads straight to the base of the pavilion, with one-story wing rooms on both sides. Both the main pavilion and the smaller side pavilions are built atop a five-bay hall, sharing the same ground floor, while the upper floors above the second level are divided into separate structures. From the front, they form a shape resembling the Chinese character “山” (mountain). The five-bay hall, along with the left and right wing rooms and the wind-and-rain corridor, is seamlessly integrated, and in terms of plan layout, it forms an inverted “山” shape. This ingenious architectural arrangement is quite rare in Guizhou.

Tongzi Chen Ancestral Hall

The Chen Ancestral Hall is a cultural tourism attraction.

Chen Ancestral Hall