Xiaoyi Ancestral Hall

Xiaoyi Ancestral Hall

Xiaoyi Ancestral Hall is a cultural tourism attraction.

Xiaoyi Ancestral Hall is the smallest of the five ancestral halls of the Jingxing Wang family clan and was opened to the public in 1998. Located at the street level on the southern slope below the two major architectural complexes of Gaoya Cliff and Hongmen Fort, it is a key cultural relic protection unit of Jinzhong City.

Xiaoyi Ancestral Hall was expanded from the original Xiaoyi Memorial Archway. In the 45th year of the Qianlong Emperor’s reign (1780), the Qianlong Emperor issued an imperial edict to construct the Xiaoyi Memorial Archway in recognition of the filial piety and righteous deeds of Wang Mengpeng, the 15th-generation descendant of the Wang family. The archway was completed in the 51st year of Qianlong’s reign (1786), and later expanded into the Xiaoyi Ancestral Hall in the first year of the Jiaqing Emperor’s reign (1796). The hall faces south and is divided into upper and lower courtyards, covering a total area of 428 square meters. The ground floor of the courtyard features three main vaulted rooms that display models of the Jingxing Wang Family Ancestral Hall and the Wang family cemetery, as well as three-dimensional sculptures depicting the life of Wang Mengpeng and his acts of filial piety and righteousness—works of extremely high artistic value. The upper floor has a main hall with five rooms, serving as the space for enshrining ancestral tablets. In front of it stands a stage that faces north, featuring a hip-and-gable roof, upturned eaves at the four corners, and a convex-shaped floor plan, reflecting the architectural style of Yuan Dynasty stages.

As a historical relic, the Xiaoyi Memorial Archway is a rare masterpiece of stone carving art today. Xiaoyi Ancestral Hall serves as the spiritual resting place of the ancestors of the Wang family and is an exceptional physical specimen of a traditional family ancestral hall.

Location

Jingxing Town, Lingshi County, Shanxi Province