Tianzhu Ancestral Halls

Tianzhu County is home to over 100 ancestral halls built during the Ming and Qing dynasties by the Miao and Dong ethnic groups. More than 30 of these halls are well-preserved today (including 19 protected at the county level and 2 at the provincial level). These ancestral halls were constructed from the late Ming Dynasty to the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty. The Yang Family Ancestral Hall, one of the oldest, dates back over 400 years, while others were built at least 130 years ago. The Yang, Wu, Wang, Shu, and Liu families can trace their lineage back to the Tang and Song dynasties. The ancestral halls are categorized by family hall names such as “Qingbai Hall,” “Yanling Hall,” “Binghu Hall,” and “Sanhuai Hall.” Some are named after the ancestral hometowns, like the “Taiyuan Hall” of the Wang family in Sanmentang, or after the titles of founding ancestors, such as the “Zhao Yong General Hall” of the Liu family in Sanmentang. They serve as physical reflections of history, regional identity, and social status.

Tianzhu Ancestral Halls

Tianzhu Ancestral Halls

Tianzhu Ancestral Halls

The architectural structure of the ancestral halls features an outer ring of brick walls with a decorative archway as the facade. The side gables are horse-head shaped, and the inner walls are coated with lime plaster. The top of the archway has double eaves and upturned corners, with the main and secondary archways forming a unified five-sided structure. The main archway is taller than the secondary one and bears the family name, hall name, or place of origin. The archways are adorned with clay sculptures, relief carvings of figures and flowers, and couplets inscribed on the pillars. Inside, the halls follow traditional Chinese wooden construction methods, including post-and-lintel, raised-beam, and arranged-panel frameworks. They include a main hall (also called the central hall, which houses the ancestral shrine), middle hall (central chamber), passageway hall, theater stage, side rooms, wing rooms, and courtyards. Their architectural style is either magnificent and elegant or a fascinating blend of Chinese and Western elements. The clay sculptures, reliefs, wood carvings, and painted figures depict historical stories, flowers, birds, dragons, and fish, all vividly crafted and harmoniously arranged with profound symbolism. The left or rear gables of the main hall often feature the eight large characters “Filial Piety, Fraternity, Loyalty, Trustworthiness, Propriety, Righteousness, Integrity, and Shame” written in regular script.

The social functions of the ancestral halls include preserving civilization, honoring ancestors, displaying genealogies and conducting discussions, educating clan members, and providing entertainment through performances. While adopting the culture and architectural techniques of the Chu region, the Tianzhu ancestral halls also integrated feudal ethics, family rules, and clan laws, innovating cultural models and enriching the cultural significance of the ancestral halls. On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, known as “Genealogy Sunning and Discussion Day,” clans gather to air their genealogical records—preventing them from being damaged by insects or mold—and to revisit family rules and ancestral teachings, commemorating the virtues of their forebears. Nowadays, clan rules emphasize values such as “abiding by laws, working diligently and living frugally, respecting the elderly and caring for the young, and maintaining unity and harmony,” reflecting modern ideals.

The culture of Tianzhu ancestral halls embodies the rich historical and cultural heritage and regional characteristics of the Miao and Dong ethnic groups in Qiandongnan, Guizhou Province. They contain extensive materials related to ethnology, folklore, sociology, economics, history, anthropology, education, ethics, and clan systems. These ancestral halls have preserved much of their original historical appearance and hold significant historical, artistic, and scientific value.