The Wuwang Tan Clan Ancestral Hall

The Wuwang Tan Clan Ancestral Hall

The Wuwang Tan Clan Ancestral Hall is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

The Tan Clan Ancestral Hall is located in Wuwang Village, Changlai Town, Lechang, Shaoguan, Guangdong, and was built to commemorate Tan Bi, who held the title of Zijin Guanglu Doctor.

The Tan Clan Ancestral Hall is a rectangular courtyard complex, covering a built-up area of 177 square meters. It consists of three parts: the gate tower, the front hall, and the main hall. The gate tower features a hip-and-gable roof in the style of a memorial archway, spanning three bays with a width of 11.4 meters and a depth of three bays at 14 meters. Its original construction date is unknown, but the existing structure was renovated during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty.

Constructed with a brick-and-wood structure, the building features double-sloped hard-hipped roofs made of blue bricks, covered with dark tiles, and adorned with exquisitely clean bargeboards. It spans three bays over two sections, with a width of 11.4 meters and a depth of 21.5 meters, covering a total area of 199 square meters. The front section has three doors on the facade: a central all-wooden memorial archway-style gate adorned with four intricately carved floral door knockers, while the side gates each have two carved floral knockers. The depth is 2.5 meters, and the sides are supported by three limestone-based wooden pillars arranged in a triangular formation, propping up an “冖”-shaped gate facade with scrolled leaf motifs. Three parallel dragon-headed crossbeams extend sideways, which were once finely carved with patterns of flying dragons and dancing phoenixes (all of which were scraped off during the Cultural Revolution—those responsible met grim fates). The domed floating canopy, carved floral eave beams, and ridge beams carved with serpent patterns; the central moon beams on both sides are carved with twin phoenixes guarding floral designs, with dragon heads at the ends; the melon-shaped pillar side panels are carved with scrolled leaf patterns, while the top panels feature a reclining qilin; the roof rises about 2 meters above the eaves in a hip-and-gable style, with a central design featuring an outer square and inner circle, crossed diagonally by two bamboo-jointed rods intersecting at a point adorned with a spread-winged bat, surrounded by carved immortal plant caisson ceilings; the ends support intricately structured inverted pyramid-shaped honeycomb-like bracket sets. The main ridge is shaped like a dragon boat, topped with gray-glazed ridge ornaments. Ingeniously conceived, magnificent and resplendent, it is truly breathtaking. Inside, there is a courtyard paved with limestone, along with two corridors, both sides equipped with ceiling boards. The main hall features a combination of raised-beam and penetrating-tie wooden frameworks, supported by limestone-based wooden pillars. The penetrating-tie hard-hipped roof is covered with gray tiles, the main ridge adorned with gray-glazed ridge beasts, green glazed tiles for the drip tiles, and the shrine houses a statue of Tan Bi clad in python robes.

The “Gaogedia” Gate Tower

To the west of the ancestral hall stands the “Gaogedia” Gate Tower, an immovable cultural relic of Lechang. This gate tower faces south and is square in shape, featuring a double-sloped hard-hipped roof made of blue bricks, covered with dark tiles. It is built with three limestone steps, standing approximately 6 meters tall, 5 meters wide, and 4 meters deep, with arched doorways at the front and back, each 4 meters high and 1.5 meters wide. The lintel is inscribed and painted with the characters “Gaogedia,” flanked by red sandstone-framed square windows. The interior is paved with pebbles, giving it a commanding presence. About 30 meters north of the “Gaogedia,” another gate tower is built with blue bricks, 3 meters tall and featuring a 1.3-meter-wide arched doorway, with the plaque “Zhongyimen” (Gate of Loyalty and Righteousness) inlaid on the lintel. The overall structure remains intact. About 30 meters north of the “Zhongyimen” is another similar gate tower without an inscribed lintel, serving as the northern exit of the village. The three gates are interconnected by a road paved with limestone, forming the central axis of the village, with scattered relics such as door socket stones, stone bases, and stone piers still present on both sides.

The Momingmen Gate Tower

About 20 meters southwest of the “Gaogedia” Gate Tower stands the Momingmen Gate Tower, an immovable cultural relic of Lechang. This gate tower faces east and is square in shape, 5 meters tall, 4 meters wide, and 4 meters deep. It features a double-sloped hard-hipped roof made of blue bricks, covered with dark tiles. The lintel is inlaid with a raised brick relief plaque inscribed “Momingmen,” flanked by “protruding”-style windows, with the top partially damaged. On both sides of the gate are blue-brick residential buildings, inside of which several double-sloped hard-hipped roof structures made of blue bricks remain, including exquisitely carved ox-yoke-style dragon beams.

In 2012, the People's Government of Guangdong Province listed it as part of the seventh batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units.

Changlai Town: Changlai Town is the southernmost established town in Lechang City, located 5 kilometers from downtown Lechang. Established in December 1949, it has been referred to as a district, township, district office, and people's commune before becoming a town in 1987, which it has remained until today. Covering an area of 92 square kilometers, it borders Langtian Town to the east, the Lecheng Subdistrict Office to the northwest, and Ruyuan County to the south. The terrain is characterized by low hills sloping from west to east. The town administers 12 village committees, 47 village groups, and 52 natural villages, with 5,717 households and a population of 21,800, including 4,442 farming households and 18,910 agricultural residents, as well as non-agricultural residents... More detailed information on Changlai Town ++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units